The Heart of Alexandria
by paperphoenix94
Summary: When Hikari came back to Domino after spending six years away in Egypt with her Dad's deployment, she picks right back up with her friendship with Yugi Muto. Now as Pegasus launches the Duelist Kingdom Tournament, Yugi, Hikari, and their friends have to compete to find answers to questions about the secrets locked away with the millennium items and the spirit of Yugi's puzzle.
1. Chapter 1

'Hey Joey. Earth to Joey! Hey, are you in there? It's your move' Yugi called to his friend sitting across from him. It was another regular school day and while they had a free study period, Yugi was trying to teach Joey the basics of Duel Monsters.

'Eh?' the blond snapped out of his daydream 'Sorry Yug, I'm still trying to figure this out' he said, his face filled with concentration before finally deciding his move, 'Try this on for size!' he said placing a card on the board.

Yugi chuckled at Joey's attempt, 'Pretty good!' he said, turning his own card over 'But not good enough!' he said triumphantly.

Joey yelped 'What?! Gee, thanks a lot Yug, a card that powerful totally wiped out the rest of my life points!' he groaned in defeat, placing his head in his hands.

Tristen chuckled as he appeared behind him, grabbing his shoulders looking at the board 'Wow Joey, you really suck at this game'

Joey growled at his friend, 'Shut up' he muttered gathering his deck back together.

'Hey guys! What did I miss?' came a voice across the room. Yugi looked up to see Hikari come towards them, her flowing black hair draped across her small shoulders, her green eyes inquisitive of the commotion around the table. She was carrying a load of textbooks, 'Must have just come from the library' he thought.

'Hey Hikari!' waved Tea, 'The guys just finished playing a game of Duel Monsters. Yugi won, obviously' she said laughing quietly.

'Why I oughta' Joey mumbled under his breath as he shot a look at Tea.

'Duel Monsters eh?' said Hikari, her eyes sparkling 'I love that game!' she placed her textbooks on a nearby table and produced a small stack of cards from her pocket, 'Maybe you and I should duel sometime Yugi' she smiled.

'Sure! That sounds great' said Yugi as he rubbed the back of his spikey tri coloured hair. He'd known Hikari since they were kids, her father helping his grandfather on his archeological digs in Egypt, where they found his millennium puzzle. But when her father was deployed back to Cairo 6 years ago, her family had to move.

She only got back a few weeks ago, and the two resumed their friendship as if the break never happened. He was happy that all of his friends liked her too, she fit right into their little group perfectly.

'You play too, Hikari?' Joey asked his eyes lighting up.

'Mmhm' she nodded 'But maybe you should learn a bit more about the rules first Joey, while I was living on the base with my dad, there wasn't a lot to do apart from play Duel Monsters' she chuckled

'I could totally take ya!' he said standing up ready to accept a new challenge before the memory of his recent loss came back into his head 'I just need some better cards is all' he said looking back over his deck with concern.

'Maybe I could help with that' said Yugi. Joey perked up, waiting expectantly for him to explain 'My grandpa owns a game shop, so I always get to look at the best cards from him, maybe we should go there after school today, then you could get some more cards for you Joey'

'Yeah! That sounds great Yug!' he beamed. Joey was already running through possibilities in his mind thinking about what new cards to add to his deck.

'Great!' enthused Yugi 'We can all go! Maybe my Grandpa will even show us his super rare card'

Across the room, Seto Kaiba's attention was grabbed from the book he had buried himself into the avoid the droning from his classmates 'Rare card?' he thought, he eyes narrowing 'Maybe I should go check it out, it might be just what I need'

The group, not noticing Kaiba's newfound interest in their conversation started discussing various duelling strategies until the bell rang.

'C'mon guys! What are we waitin' for?' Joey said excitedly packing his things together 'Let's go check out that game shop!' he started jogging in the direction of the school doors.

The others couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm as he bounded away from them dragging Tristen by the sleeve.

'Coming Hikari?' Yugi said looking behind him as his purple eyes sparkled with the excitement of finally having his best friend back with him.

'Yeah! I just need to go put some of these books in my locker, go ahead, I'll be there in a sec!' she smiled at him

'Don't worry! Give me some of those' he said reaching for some of the books she had piled into her arms 'I'll help you'

Hikari smiled at Yugi, his kindness had never waivered even after all these years 'Thanks Yugi, let's go'

'Managed to finally solve that thing then?' Hikari asked, eyeing the puzzle around Yugi's neck.

'Yeah!' He said happily 'Took me a long time though!' he added

'I'm not surprised' she chuckled 'You were working on that before I even left for Cairo'

The pair finally met the rest of the group outside, Joey was already proclaiming to Tristan and Tea that he was going to go down as one of the best duelists in history, that nothing would stand in his way of becoming a champion.

'He's certainly enthusiastic, isn't he?' Hikari giggled to Yugi

Yugi just chuckled in agreement, as the friends walked down to the game shop.

'Hey, Gramps! I'm home' called Yugi as they walked through the door.

Solomon Muto was standing behind the counter of the shop 'So I see, and it appears you've brought company!' he said as he eyed the group of teenagers behind his grandson.

'Gramps, do you think you could show my friends your awesome super rare card?' asked Yugi, he eyes wide with excitement

'Hm?' said Solomon 'Rare card? My special card?' he asked surprised

'Please?' said Yugi, putting his hands together begging

'Please?' the rest of the group chimed in, smiling at the old man

Solomon thought about it for a moment and then laughed 'Oh, how can I say no!' fishing a small container from the counter, he retrieved the card from the box. 'Here it is!' he said proudly, holding up the card for the group to see 'The Blue Eyes White Dragon!'

'No way!' Hikari gasped from behind Yugi 'I never thought I'd ever see one in real life!'

'What's so special about it?' asked Tea as she leaned in for a closer view

'There's only four of them in the entire world' Hikari explained as her eyes were glued to the picture of the dragon on the card 'It's extremely powerful, and very difficult to beat'

'Speaking of powerful!' Joey piped up, breaking Hikari out of her staring contest with the card 'I'm ready to trade!' he said

Solomon pulled the card closer to him 'Not for this you're not!' he said protectively.

'Nah, not for that card' said Joey quickly putting his hands up, 'I meant some other cool cards to get me started'

'Oh, well in that case...' Solomon was cut off by the sound of the front door opening.

The group turned around and were greeted with the figure of Seto Kaiba standing at the doorway, the gang tensed at the sight of him. What was Seto Kaiba doing here?

Solomon was unfazed by the sudden change in atmosphere from his grandson's friends and chirply called 'Hello! Can I help you?'

A low throaty chuckle came from the boy 'If you can't, it certainly wouldn't surprise me' he said flatly as he walked over to the counter, a silver briefcase by his side.

Tristen scoffed 'Doesn't he have a big fancy company to run? What is he doing here?' he asked, crossing his arms.

'Not that it's any of your business, but I came to see the card'

'Hey, that's cool, you're into duel monsters too?' said Joey stepping forward 'Maybe we could all duel together sometime!'

'Me?' Kabia sneered 'Duel you? I'd have a better time playing solitaire'

'Wha-' Joey stammered at the sudden hostility from the CEO.

'I'm the number one ranked duelist in the country' he gloated looking at Joey with disdain 'and the favourite to win the duel monsters championship' he swept his eyes over the shop and landed back on Joey in front of him 'You wouldn't last two seconds in a duel against me' he said arrogantly.

What's this guys problem? Hikari thought looking him up and down He certainly doesn't look all that special.

Joey was fired up now 'Woah, I'm shakin' he said angrily 'Maybe you'd like to settle this with fists instead of cards!' holding up one of his hands as if to take a swing at Kaiba, who looked on with relative disinterest.

'Woah, Joey!' Yugi moved between the two 'Take it easy!' his hands going to Joey's chest to stop him from doing anything rash.

Kaiba was no longer paying attention, his eyes quickly moved to the open box on the counter, the card he'd been searching for, right in front of him after all these years. 'Can it be?!' he gasped, rushing over to the counter, pushing Yugi and Joey aside as he did so. Hikari caught Yugi's shoulders before he stumbled over. 'The Blue Eyes White Dragon!' he said in awe.

'Well' Solomon said, securing the card back in the box 'Enough window shopping, is there anything else I can help you with?' he said matter of factly, staring up at the boy.

Kaiba growled before slamming his briefcase on the counter, clicking it open 'Listen to me old man' he said sharply 'Give me your Blue Eyes White Dragon card and I'll trade you all of these'

In the briefcase must have been hundreds of rare and exotic duel monsters cards, Hikari glanced over, Cyber Dragon, Sacred Crane, Darklord Desire.. Where did he find cards like this? she thought. Her hand instinctively fluttered to her pocket where her own cards were secured.

'Ah nice!' said Solomon looking over the contents 'But no thank you' he said with a smile. Yugi and Joey gasped at the words.

'Fine' Kabia said swiftly shutting the case 'If you won't trade it, maybe you'll sell it!' retrieving his checkbook from his jacket 'Name your price, I can pay anything you ask' he waited expectantly.

Solomon just smiled 'I'm sure you could, but this card means more to me than you could ever offer' his voice growing gentle 'Not because of its power, or because its so rare, but because of what it means to me' Kabia's expression grew confused 'This card was given to me by a dear friend, and so I treasure this card as I do this friend, so parting with it is completely out of the question!' he ended harshly.

Kabia stood dumbstruck. How could he be refused? His eyes narrowed. 'Fine, I've heard enough of your nonsense' he growled 'Senile old fool' he spat as he left the shop, without what he came for.

The atmosphere was still tense for a beat until Tea broke it with a snort 'Ugh' she coughed 'I can't believe how much of an ass that guy is'

Hikari giggled in agreement 'You said it, Tea'

Solomon remained unfazed by the boy's harsh words and turned his attention back to his grandson and his friends 'So, Joey, what sort of cards did you want to look for?'

Joey's excitement came back as his anger dissipated, he hurriedly went over to the counter to view the cards on offer.

'Hey Hikari' said Yugi turning his attention from Joey, 'While Joey is looking for new cards, how about a duel?' he asked.

Hikari chuckled looking down at her friend 'Sure Yugi! But be warned, I'm not gonna go easy on you!'

'I wouldn't want it any other way!' he laughed as he sat down in a small booth the other side of the shop.

'Yugi dueling Hikari? This I gotta see!' Tristan said as he walked over to watch the match. Tea followed as Joey was still bombarding Solomon with questions about strategies and special monster effects. They were going to be some time.

'Alright Yugi, you ready?' asked Hikari as she finished shuffling her deck.

'You bet!'

'Lets Duel' they said together.

'Ladies first' he offered

Hikari giggled 'How gentlemanly of you' picking up a card from her deck.

She'd started off with a decent hard, two magic cards, two monster cards, and a trap card. 'Hm..' she hummed thinking about her strategy.

'I'll place this card face down, and summon Priestess of Alexandria, in attack mode [1200/800]. I'll end my turn' she said triumphantly.

'Woah!' said Yugi examining her card 'I've never seen a card like that before, where did you get it?' he asked.

Hikari chuckled 'When my dad was stationed in Cairo, there were a few other kids on the military base, they got me into duel monsters and showed me these kinds of cards. They're super popular in Egypt!' Hikari loved the uniqueness of her cards, they were based off of the lost library of Alexandria in Egypt, a place where her father provided security for a team of archaeologists as they combed the area for any sign of the structure. The other kids at the dig made friends with Hikari, showing her the duel monsters cards based around the legend, it wasn't long until she created a deck around them.

'Cool!' said Yugi looking back over his hand 'Doesn't mean I can't defeat it though!' he said grinning as he placed down his Gaia The Fierce Knight [2300/2100]

'Awh man' Hikari moaned as she sent her Priestess to the graveyard. She drew her next card and had to try and maintain her poker face.

'I summon Keeper of Alexandria!' she said placing down her card [1900/1500] Yugi looked quizzically at Hikari as she placed down a monster weaker than his knight 'And I activate this magic card, Ancient Texts, which adds another 500 attack and defence points to my monster [2400/2000], so you can wave goodbye to your knight Yugi!' she giggled.

'Wow Yugi!' said Joey as he looked over at the duel 'Hikari is wiping the floor wit' ya!'

Hikari gave Joey a thumbs up 'You bet I am!' she laughed and turned her attention back, as she did so, a crash came from the store room. Yugi got up and ran behind the counter 'Grandpa!' he called as he turned the corner and saw a mess of boxes. Solomon was on the floor after mishandling some stuff in the storeroom, Yugi turned back to Hikari 'Sorry Hikari, I've got to help Gramps, how about we pick up another time?' he said helping Solomon off the ground.

Hikari nodded as she put away her deck, 'No problem Yugi' she smiled as she glanced down at her watch 'I better get going anyway, my dad will be wondering where I am' she stood and headed for the door.

'Wait up!' said Tea, grabbing her bag, 'I'll come with you, I gotta head home too' she smiled and waved at the boys who were already moving the boxes back to their rightful place 'See ya tomorrow guys!'

'Bye!' Hikari threw over her shoulder as the pair exited the shop.

'So Hikari, I didn't know you were so good at Duel Monsters' exclaimed Tea as they walked down the street

Hikari chuckled 'I wouldn't say I'm good, but I can hold my own. As I said before, when my dad was deployed, there wasn't much else to do on the base, so it became a favorite hobby of mine' she shrugged.

'Well, I think you're great!' said Tea beaming at her friend. She'd not known Hikari for very long, but she had welcomed another girl into the circle with open arms, it was refreshing to not be surrounded by boys all the time, she needed a girlfriend.

'Thanks Tea! Anyway, I have to go, my dad is gonna worry!' Hikari said as she started walking away 'I'll see you later!' throwing a wave over her shoulder she continued home.

'Hey Dad' she called as she walked through the door.

'Hey Kiddo' he said as she looked up from the stack of papers in front of him ' How're tricks?'

'I went to Yugi's grandpa's game shop after school' she said smiling 'Get this dad, his grandpa has a blue eyes white dragon!'

'Woah, no way!' he smiled 'That's amazing! What else did you get up to?' as he started drifting back to his papers

'Well, Yugi and I started to have a duel, but there was a bit of a box fiasco, so we'll pick it up again soon' She headed over to the fridge to check the contents, and was bitterly disappointed.

'You forgot to go grocery shopping again, didn't you?' changing the subject her tone accusatory.

'Uhh..' he started 'Yeah, sorry kiddo' giving her a smile 'But hey, why don't we order some takeout?'

Hikari chuckled, she couldn't blame her dad, he was still the same military man she always knew, cropped brown hair, tall and broad physique. He was so used to ration packs and group canteen dinners, he's pretty much forgotten how to function outside the base. But after his injury a year ago, he was transferred out of Cairo and back into Domino, behind a desk. She knew he wasn't as happy as he used to be, but he tried hard.

'Sure Dad, whatever you want' she smiled as she reached for the takeout menu drawer in the kitchen.

Hikari fell into bed, exhausted _What a day_ she thought as she curled into her duvet and drifted to sleep.

The shrill ring of her phone woke Hikari up with a start, she fumbled around the top of her nightstand until her hands made contact with the source of the noise. Not bothering to check the caller ID she answered.

'Hello?' she said sleepily, eyes still not open

'Hikari! It's me! Something awful has happened!' Yugi wailed on the other end, clearly distressed.

'Yugi?' asked Hikari, a bit more awake now 'What happened? What's going on?'

'Kaiba took my grandpa, he's in trouble!'

'It's okay Yugi, I'll meet you at the shop in 10 minutes, we'll get your gramps back!' Hikari was out of bed now, trying to find something to wear.

'Thanks Hikari, I'll see you soon' Yugi hung up.

Hikari's head was spinning, _Why would Kabia take Yugi's grandpa?_ Then it hit her 'The Blue Eyes..' she whispered to herself, he was obviously still bitter that he couldn't get his hands on it yesterday.

Throwing on a pair of black skinny jeans and a white tank, she grabbed her dad's old army jacket and headed out of the door.

'Hey guys!' she called as she neared the game shop, Joey, Tristan and Tea were already standing outside with Yugi.

'Hey Hikari' Joey said as she joined them 'Yug says that slimeball Kabia has his gramps at his company building downtown'

'What are we waiting for?' asked Tristan 'Let's go!'

The group reached the Kaiba building a short time later, as they stepped off the elevator they saw Solomon on the floor, obviously looking weak.

'Grandpa!' exclaimed Yugi, running over to him. 'What happened? Are you okay?' asked Yugi looking over Solomon for any sign of serious injury.

'Yugi!' he answered, his voice shaking slightly 'I tried to teach Kabia a lesson about the heart of the cards, but I lost' he groaned in pain.

'How's the old man doing?' Kabia asked appearing in the far doorway, looking over at Yugi.

'Kaiba you sleaze!' shouted Joey 'What have you done to him?' raising his fist.

'We had a duel, that's all' he replied innocently 'With each of us putting up our most valuable card as the prize, but I guess playing against a champion like myself was just too much for the old fool' he shrugged, obviously unfazed by what he's done.

'Kaiba!' yelled Tea from across the room 'You should be ashamed of yourself!'

'It was fair' he said cooly, ignoring Tea's outburst 'and look at the sweet prize I won' holding up the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Hikari gasped seeing the card, but just as she took a step to retrieve it, he tore the card into two, stopping her dead in her tracks. The group gasped 'Grandpa's most treasured card!' said Yugi in disbelief.

'Now it can never be used against me' Kabia said, throwing the pieces to his side.

'Yugi, here. Take this' Solomon turned to his grandson and held out his deck to him 'Take my deck Yugi, I put my heart and soul into these cards, and taught you everything I know! Take them and teach Kabia a lesson, about the heart of the cards Yugi!' Solomon said, suddenly intense. Yugi stared at the cards in mild disbelief.

'But Grandpa, I have to get you to a doctor!' said Yugi worriedly

Kabia stepped forward, he expression amused 'Sounds like an excuse, Yugi, your friends can care for your grandpa, while you and I duel'

'Take him Yugi!' Joey said behind him

'Yeah, teach this creep a lesson!' added Tristan

'Don't worry Yugi, we'll look after your Grandpa' added Tea, looking down at her friend.

'We know you can do this!' Hikari said nodding in encouragement.

Yugi's eyes suddenly became intense and focused, he turned around 'Okay Grandpa, I'll duel using your deck, and I'll teach Kaiba what the heart of the cards is all about!' taking the cards out of his Grandpa's hands, determination etched onto his face.

Tea fished around in her bag for a moment 'Everyone, come here. I'll mark us with a special sign' she drew a smiley face across the 5 hands in front of her 'There, now no matter how far apart we are, we'll always be together. No matter how tough is gets' she nodded.

'Hey Tea, that's great!' Hikari said as she examined the marks on her hand.

'C'mon guys, let's get Yugi's grandpa out of here!' said Tristan, leaning over to pick up Solomon from the floor.

'You guys go ahead' Hikari said quietly 'I'll stay here to cheer Yugi on!'

The three nodded as they left for the hospital.

'Thanks Hikari' Yugi said looking over at his friend

'No problem Yugi' she smiled 'You're gonna teach this creep a lesson!'

Kaiba was stood silently throughout the exchange, when Yugi turned his attention over to him he gestured into the room behind him 'Right this way, Yugi' as he walked.

Hikari stepped into the room, and greeted with a large dueling stadium, she looked in awe at the size of the thing, wondering how they were possibly going to duel so far away from each other. Her mind went back to the tabletop duel she had started with Yugi yesterday as she compared the scale of the two.

'I designed this virtual stadium myself' Kabia said as his platform moved forwards 'Impressive eh?' he continued without a pause for confirmation 'We each begin with 2000 life points, the first player to hit zero loses!' Kabia looked over at his opponent 'Are you ready to play, runt?' he spat.

Hikari gritted her teeth.

'Playtime is over!' Yugi shouted from across the stadium 'Now Kabia! Prepare yourself because it's time to duel!' Hikari looked over at Yugi, _something's changed_ she thought. Yugi's voice just dropped an octave or two, he appeared taller, more confident. His purple eyes burned with an intensity that Hikari had never seen in her friend. She was taken aback by the sudden change in her friend, seemingly so was Kabia, who looked at Yugi with shock.

Kabia shrugged off his intrusive thought 'Virtual systems ready' he said checking over the stadium. 'I'll start off with the powerful Hitotsu-Me Giant! [1200/800] Kabia placed the card on the grid in front of him.

Hikari gasped as the card materialized in front of Kabia, the giant roared at Yugi as he looked on shocked.

'Thanks to my virtual technology, the monsters in our decks become lifelike holograms. You've never dueled like this before, Yugi!' Kabia declared.

Yugi let out a tense sound before drawing a card. 'It's my move Kaiba! And I summon Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress' placing his card down [1400/1200]. The card appeared before Yugi, larger than life.

Hikari was tense, this is unlike any duel she'd ever seen before. She held a silent concern about Yugi's safety, even though these monsters were holograms, they looked dangerous. She shook her head to clear away the thoughts 'You can do it Yugi!' she yelled from the sidelines.

'Fireball Attack!' he yelled, as the dragon obeyed breathing fire from its mouth, destroying Kabia's monster in a single move, Kaiba shielded himself from the gust of the attack letting out a groan as his monster shattered, his life points dropped down to 1800.

'Big Brother!' a voice called from the opposite side of the arena 'Are you alright?!'

Hikari looked over at the small boy running into the room, his shaggy black hair making up most of his height, he looked over at Kabia, his eyes full of concern.

Kabia composed himself 'I'm fine Mokuba' he growled as he drew his next card.

Hikari looked on at the duel as it unfolded, it was so evenly matched it was difficult to tell who had the upper hand.

Yugi stood confidently at the end of the arena 'It's your move, Kaiba' he said as his opponent drew his next card. His eyes went over to his new card, and he smirked. Hikari felt her stomach drop.

'This will be over sooner than you think, Yugi! I call upon the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon!' placing the card down, the creature took form. Hikari couldn't believe what she was seeing, the massive dragon rose from the ground and roared into the sky beating its wings before placing its gaze upon Yugi's monster with its piercing blue stare.

'How is that possible?!' Hikari directed at Kaiba 'You just tore that card to pieces, we saw it!'

'Surprised?' asked Kaiba, nonchalantly 'Did you think your Grandpa was the only person to possess a Blue Eyes White Dragon?' The dragon roared again, bearing its teeth 'Now, Blue Eyes, attack his monster, White Lightning Attack!' he commanded. The ball of electricity flew from the mouth of the dragon and collided with Yugi's monster, destroying it instantly.

Hikari's stomach dropped even further, _How is Yugi going to get past this?_ She thought, biting her lip. Her worries were not eased as Kaiba went on to summon a further two Blue Eyes. 'No way!' she yelled in disbelief 'You own the other three Blue-Eyes White Dragons?!' looking at the trio. This was bad news.

'Its over Yugi' Kaiba yelled 'Draw your last pathetic card'

'My grandfather's deck has no pathetic cards Kaiba' he said as he picked up the next card 'But it does have, the unstoppable Exodia!' he turned the card in his hand around to show the face of the monster.

'Impossible' Hikari breathed. She'd only ever heard rumors about Exodia, she never thought it actually existed, let alone see it. Yugi placed the five cards down on the field, the creature coming forth from the magic circle that encased it.

'Exodia?' Kaiba stammered 'It's not possible, nobody has ever been able to summon him!' he took a step back, his heels reaching the edge of the platform as the monster towered over his trio of Dragons.

'Exodia' Yugi declared 'Obliterate!'

The light that came from Exodia was blinding, the vibrations shook the entire stadium as Kaiba held on to the side of his platform to avoid being sent over the edge from the shockwave, the scream that came from him was deafening.

By the time Hikari blinked the light from her eyes, Yugi's platform was already descending back to the floor.

'Yugi! You did it! I knew you could do it!' she cheered as she ran over to her friend embracing him. 'Kabia will think twice before messing with you again!' she gave him a thumbs up as he rubbed the back of his head.

'I just believed in the heart of the cards, I can accomplish anything when I have my deck with me' he said holding up his cards. His expression suddenly turned worried 'C'mon Hikari, we have to go see Grandpa!' he began running towards the elevator. Hikari following behind him.

She smiled to herself slightly, it felt good to be home.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been just over 2 weeks since Yugi's victory over Kaiba and since his surprise win, people have been murmuring in the halls as he walked by.

'Did you hear, Yugi Muto defeated Kaiba?' said one,

'I heard he took out all three blue-eyes at once!' murmured another.

Yugi tried his best to ignore it, but something was still nagging at him. That was the spirit that inhabited the puzzle around his neck. Hikari did ask him about it, after seeing him be so different while he was dueling Kaiba, she couldn't shake the image of taller, more confident Yugi standing opposite the former champion.

'I'm not too sure' said Yugi examining the puzzle in his hands as he sat in the living room above the game shop. 'There's an ancient spirit inhabiting the puzzle. He took over while I was dueling Kaiba. He told me that he was a pharaoh that ruled over ancient Egypt over five thousand years ago' he mused, looking to Hikari for her reaction.

Hikari nodded in a vague understanding while her dark brows knitted together, while she couldn't really comprehend the true power of the item in Yugi's hands, she heard stories and legends of the power the millennium items possessed while she was living in Cairo. But that's all she thought they were, stories.

'So, what do you think he wants? I mean, why is his spirit trapped within the puzzle?' Hikari asked, sinking into the sofa beside Yugi looking at the puzzle turning over in his hands, she reached out to touch the surface of the gold pyramid in Yugi's hands. As her fingers traced over the eye of Horus on the edge of the puzzle, she felt a warmth reach through the tips of her fingers, as if the puzzle was welcoming the touch. She pulled her hand away, looking at the puzzle in confusion ' _What was that feeling?'_ she thought, her mind suddenly filling with questions.

The others' attention was caught up in Joey's duel with Tristan, he'd come a long way in a couple of weeks, not without some considerable help from Yugi and Hikari teaching him. He'd started to assemble a well-balanced deck, and was learning about the uses of magic and trap cards to back up his monsters, making them more powerful. Just as Yugi was about to answer Hikari's questions about the spirit, Joey yelled a cry of victory from the table.

'Yeah! Take that Tristan' he said turning over his Flame Swordsman 'There go the rest of your life points!'

'Way to go Joey!' smiled Tea from her perch on the arm of the sofa.

'C'mon, who's next?' he challenged standing up looking directly at Yugi and Hikari on the sofa, 'I can beat any one of ya' pointing to himself.

'Do you want to take him down a notch, or should I?' Hikari whispered to Yugi, giggling softly.

'The pleasure is all yours' Yugi said gesturing to the table, smiling at the girl. ' _This should be fun'_ he thought to himself. In his head he heard a chuckle of agreement - it seems the spirit thought that this duel should be interesting as well.

'Alright Joey' Hikari said standing up, 'Let's see how you do against me' she challenged, fishing her deck from her bag.

'Alright! But don't say I didn't warn ya!' Joey said confidently as he faced his next opponent.

Hikari made her way over to the table and sat in Tristan's spot, she started shuffling her deck as Joey began proclaiming that victory was already assured. Hikari chuckled to herself, _Let's see how he does'_ she thought.

'Yugi' a voice came into his head, he recognized the deep baritone as the spirit inhabited the puzzle. 'Do you mind if I observe?' the spirit asked 'I've heard you think about Hikari's cards, they interest me deeply' he gazed over at the table in front of him. ' _Huh, I suppose they would be of interest to the Pharaoh'_ Yugi thought ' _All of Hikari's cards are based around the Library of Alexandria in Ancient Egypt'_

The spirit nodded beside him, in agreement. ' _Yes, it will be interesting to see, I wonder if anything will jog my memory'_

'Alright Hikari' Joey said, as he drew his first card bringing Yugi's attention back to the duel in front of him. 'You're goin' down!' he grinned at his friend across from him.

'If you say so, Joey' she hummed. 'Are you gonna make a move or what?' she goaded.

'Ha!' he enthused 'Try this on for size!' he placed his Baby Dragon on the table [1200/700] 'And I'll place this card face down, your move' he says, as he looked expectantly at Hikari.

'Alright Joey, I'll play this, my Eye of the Mystic [500/300], then end my turn'

'Huh?' Joey looked at Hikari in confusion.

Tea and Tristan looked at Yugi for an explanation, but Yugi looked just as confused as the other two. He looked over his shoulder at the spirit, who had a small knowing smile on his face.

 _Why did she do that?_ Yugi asked in his head _That monster is so much weaker than Joey's Baby Dragon._

 _Wait and see_ the spirit replied _I'm sure she has a plan._

'Alright, my Baby Dragon attacks your Eye of the Mystic' Joey said confidently.

Hikari chuckled 'I was hoping you would do that' as she removed the card from the field 'My Eye of the Mystic's special ability allows me to transfer a trap card from my deck to my hand when it's destroyed' as she shuffled through her cards to find the magic card she desired. 'Now, I place one card face down, and summon Shroud of the Keeper' [1250/1000] 'Say goodbye to your Dragon, Joey'

Joey growled at the sudden switch, he was so confident earlier but Hikari seemed to keep calm and serene in front of him, no fear in her eyes.

'Alright, I summon my Tiger Axe[1300/1100], and just to be safe, I activate my Banner of Courage magic card, which adds 300 attack points to my monster! Now I attack your monster!' he said, placing the card down [1600/1100]

'Joey her face down card..' Yugi began to say, but it was too late.

'Sorry Joey' Hikari said, flipping over her trap card 'My Judgement of Anubis trap card activates whenever you attack my monster, after I discard a card from my hand, it destroys a monster on your side of the field, taking the attack power out of your life points!' she paused watching the look of shock go over Joey's face as his life points dropped down to 100.

''Woah, great move Hikari!' Yugi said examining the card on the table.

 _Impressive_ the spirit thought looking over at the girl, her black hair cradled the side of her face, her green eyes burning with intensity. The spirit felt something within him, a sense of familiarity. His brows furrowed, concentrating harder on the olive-skinned girl before him.

'Aw man!' Joey grumbled, moving his Tiger Axe to the graveyard. 'This duel 'ain't over yet!'

Much to Hikari's amusement Joey's frustration grew as the duel progressed until finally Hikari put him out of his misery and finished off the rest of his life points.

Joey looked at the table in disbelief 'How'd you do that Hikari?' Joey asked 'Every time I came up with something you had a strategy to get around it!'

Hikari just laughed softly, 'I've played the game for a long time, Joey. Don't beat yourself up'

 _Hm_ the spirit thought

 _Huh? What is it?_ Yugi turned his attention back to the spirit in his head

 _Hikari_ he mused _She's a very talented duelist, but there's something else about her._

 _What do you mean?_ Yugi asked, looking over at Hikari who was sticking her tongue out at Joey

 _I don't know Yugi, but I sense there is more to Hikari than appears_

Yugi was about to question the spirits meaning when Tristan snapped his attention back to his friends.

'Haha!' Tristan laughed grabbing Joey in a headlock 'Joey got beat by a girl!' Joey growled as he wrestled Tristan off of him 'I'll show you what it's like gettin' beat!' he shouted, as he tackled him to the floor.

Tea shook her head as the boys continued their play fight,

Careful guys!' she chided as Hikari sat back down next to Yugi, gathering her deck together.

'That seemed to calm him down' Hikari said sarcastically looking over at the boys.

'Hey, Hikari?' Yugi asked turning toward her ' _Maybe this will tell the Pharaoh something'_ he thought 'Do you mind if I have a look through your deck? There are so many cards I've never seen before!' his eyes shone brightly.

'Of course!' she said with a smile handing her deck over to him. 'This is my favourite' she said, grabbing a card from the pile 'The Guardian of Alexandria [2800/2500]' she looked at the card, the winged woman dressed in traditional Egyptian garments, a shroud covering the lower half of her face, her silver wings spreading out from her back in majestic flurry. 'My dad got it for me a couple of years ago' she remembered those hot, arid days in the middle of Cairo - her father was always out on patrol, she only got to spend an hour or so a day with him, sometimes less. He came back to base after an extended period away, presenting her with the Guardian. She'd treasured it ever since.

Yugi thumbed through Hikari's deck, the spirit looking over his shoulder with interest. 'Woah, you've got some great cards here Hikari!' he said, handing the deck back to her.

 _Those cards_ the spirit thought _I sense a great power within them._

 _Do they tell you anything about Hikari?_ Asked Yugi as he studied some of the cards closer.

The spirit just shook his head, his eyes not leaving the cards in Yugi's hands.

'Thanks Yugi!' she smiled 'But they're nothing in comparison to Exodia' nudging his shoulder.

'Yugi!' Solomon called entering the room 'There's a package here for you!' holding a plain white box 'It says it's from Industrial Illusions'.

'Industrial Illusions?' Joey asked, focusing his attention back to the conversation 'Isn't that the company who created Duel Monsters?'

'Yeah..' Yugi said hesitantly 'I guess they heard about my victory over Kaiba, he did drop out of the tournament because of me. I wonder what they want?' he asked, opening the box. Inside, nestled in crushed royal blue velvet, lay a red glove with a white cuff, two small gold stars and a videotape'

'What is it?' Tea asked craning her head over Tristan's shoulder.

'I don't know' replied Yugi reaching for the tape 'Maybe this will give us some answers' he placed the tape in the tv. 'Hello Yugi-boy!' a man enthused from the set. Hikari felt a chill go down her spine.

'It's him' she breathed 'No, it's not possible'

Yugi turned to look at Hikari, but the world changed in an instant. The colour was drained from his friends, they were left unmoving, a thousand yard stare affixed to their faces.

Hikari's eyes glazed over. _Pegasus._

The last she saw of him, he had taken her fathers squadron out to provide security on an exhibition. He was a frequent visitor of the base in Cairo, his explorations often needed tight and heavy security, she was never sure why, but he often favoured her father's squad.

' _Ah, Captain Farrow. Good to see you again.'_ Pegasus enthused as he walked on the base.

' _Mr. Pegasus'_ he stood to greet the man ' _Good to see you again sir.'_

' _I require your services again!'_ Pegasus declared ' _My men have found a burial site that looks to be of great interest to me.'_

Hikari stumbled forward, clinging to her father. Only just coming past his hips, her unruly black hair covered most of her face and her bright emerald eyes looked at the new man in front of her with caution, the same way as someone might look at a dangerous snake.

' _Ah, and who is this?'_ Pegasus said as he bent down to Hikari's height, bringing his face closer.

Hikari felt her throat go dry, she didn't trust this man, she stepped behind her father's elbow watching Pegasus warily.

' _My daughter, Hikari'_ her father answered for her, he tried to step aside to have Hikari come into a better view, but his daughter mimicked his step, staying close behind him.

Pegasus hummed ' _Good to meet you my dear!'_ he smiled widely ' _I promise, I won't keep your father for long'_ he turned his attention back to Hikari's father ' _Get your team ready, we leave tomorrow morning'_ Pegasus turned on his heel and left the compound.

' _Papa. don't go!'_ Hikari tugged on her father's elbow as he turned to leave.

He looked down at his daughter ' _I promise I won't be long kiddo, I'll be back before you know it'_ placing a kiss on top of his daughter's head, he gathered his troops and readied themselves for the exhibition.

Hikari didn't see her father for two months after that, she spent countless hours at the entrance of the base, watching, waiting for her father to return. When he finally came home, he returned a shell of the man she once knew. He spent all his time burying himself in his work, only coming out of his office to go on patrol or to eat, before disappearing again, secluding himself away from everyone else. It took Hikari weeks to coax her father back to her, but slowly and surely, the light came back into his eyes again. But he was never the same.

Yugi's voice broke her out of her thoughts 'Grandpa! Grandpa!' he yelled trying to shake Solomon on the floor.

Hikari rubbed her temples _what just happened?_

'No! It's not fair! Grandpa!' tears came to Yugi's eyes. 'Come back!'

'Huh?' Tea looked over the room 'Yugi, what happened?'

'Pegasus' he said, wiping the tears off of his chin 'He challenged me to a shadow game, and took Grandpa's soul!'

'What?' Tristan asked in disbelief.

'We gotta go get your gramps back Yug! Let's go and confront this creep!' Joey asked placing his hand on Yugi's shoulder the other holding onto his deck.

'It's not that simple Joey' Hikari said shaking her head, making him pause 'Pegasus is dangerous, we need to be careful about this'

'Huh?' Yugi asked, looking over at Hikari. Tristan just called an ambulance for Solomon, soul or no soul, the man needed medical attention.

'My dad knew him from when he worked in Cairo' she explained 'He often used my dad's squadron for security on his digs' she twisted her hands together reliving the shell of her father.

Shaking her head again as if to banish the memory from her mind 'He did something while on those digs, I'm not sure what, but it was bad news. He's dangerous guys, we need to think carefully about how to get grandpa's soul back, we can't just go in there without a plan'.

Yugi nodded 'Hikari's right' he sighed dejectedly. He just found out about how dangerous Pegasus is first hand.

'However we do it, we'll do it together!' Joey said appearing at Yugi's side.

'Yeah!' Tea agreed, smiling down at Yugi.

'Thanks, guys!' Yugi said, a ghost of hope appearing in his purple eyes.

 _I'll be with you too, Yugi_ the spirit thought towards him _We'll take down Pegasus as a team!_

Later that evening, after ensuring Yugi was okay and his grandpa had been taken care of - Joey had offered to stay the night with him while the rest of the group went home to get some sleep.

Hikari walked through the front door, a little later than usual.

'What time do you call this?' her father asked inquisitively, raising an eyebrow at his daughter

'Uhh.. seven?' she tried, giving him her best smile.

It worked, Hikari's father laughed as he took his seat. 'You're not wrong kiddo. Hey, I went grocery shopping today!' he said proudly.

'Great!' she nosed around in the fridge as she grabbed ingredients for dinner. 'Proud of you dad' she laughed gently.

'Thanks' he grinned, his eyes flashed to the table in the living room. 'Oh! I almost forgot' he walked over and retrieved the package there 'This came for you while you were out, using my credit card again?' he joked.

Hikari's eyes went to the package in her dad's hands, she stiffened. Emblazoned on the side of the plain white box, the logo of Industrial Illusions. 'Ah' her voice cracked 'Probably just that book I ordered a while ago' she said, her voice barely escaping shaking. 'I'll open it up later'

She focused on dinner again, turning her back on her father. She knew as well as he did that any mention of Pegasus wouldn't be a pleasant experience for either of them.

Her father's eyes narrowed, but he didn't push her on it. Just as he sat back into his seat, his phone buzzed.

'Hello?' lifting the phone to his ear. His demeanor changed 'Lieutenant Groves' his voice became formal as he glanced over at Hikari, 'One moment, sir' he said, holding the phone against his chest 'I'll be right back kiddo' he said to her as he left the room.

Hikari looked over as her father left if Lieutenant Groves was calling him, that only meant one thing. The realization made her blood run cold. 'He's going away again' she whispered to herself. _No, no way. He promised he'd never have to leave again_ she thought to herself, though as the minutes ticked by and no return of her father the pit in her stomach got bigger and bigger.

Her father re-entered the room and as she looked at his figure in the doorway, his face confirmed Hikari's fears. 'No' she said simply 'No way. You promised' turning toward him shaking her head, folding her arms across her chest.

'I have to..' he began, his eyes pleading.

'No, you don't. You said you would stay here' her voice began to crack, but she held her ground.

'C'mon kiddo, it won't be for long' he tried to bargain with his daughter but could see it was getting him nowhere.

'Last time you said that you were gone for two months!' she snapped. Regret hit her immediately, she watched her father flashback to the ghost he was for a moment before shaking his head and returning, his eyes becoming guarded. Hikari changed tactic 'Please papa? Don't go' her eyes swimming with tears.

Hikari's father looked at his daughter, for a moment all he saw was the innocent little girl who was with him in Cairo for years, the same little girl who cried in his arms when she was scared, of the thunderstorms outside, who laughed while he lifted her into the air during one of their games. He turned his gaze away 'I'm going, Hikari. I'm sorry'.

Hikari's jaw tensed, 'Fine' she said, and left the room, grabbing the package on the table as she walked away. She paused just before hitting the stairs 'Just be careful' she added softly and made her way to her room.

She fell onto her bed, burying her face into her pillow letting her sobs escape her chest. _It's not fair_ she thought, _Why now?_

She lifted herself from the pillow and her eyes rested on the box on the table. She grabbed it and ripped the box open, examining the contents, the same glove, and star tokens were cradled in the crushed velvet as she saw this afternoon. In place of the videotape that was in Yugi's box, a crisp envelope with her name rested there. She picked it up feeling the shapes through the paper, it felt heavy. Tearing open the flap she dumped the contents on the bed, five cards each with a different illustration on the front, and one blank and a letter.

She picked up the heavy paper and unfolded it feeling the smooth surface under her hands. In the middle of the white paper, the words written in thick black ink made Hikari's veins turn to ice.

 _ **I'm sorry about your father.**_

 _ **I look forward to seeing you again soon my dear.**_


	3. Chapter 3

Hikari felt her mouth go dry as her fingers traced over the words in front of her, feeling the indentations set into the paper.

 _How did he find me? What does he want?_

She grabbed her phone, hovering over Yugi's number for a moment before deciding against it. He'd been through far too much today for her to bother him with this. She tried to make sense of it, but the only picture she could conjure in her head was that of the silver-haired man who had a sphinx-like grin. She shuddered and pushed the letter off of the bed, turning her attention to the cards.  
'An invitation to Duelist Kingdom?' she said aloud, examining the card in front of her. _That's it!_ She thought _That's how we'll defeat Pegasus._ Hikari felt a new found motivation spark in her heart, rummaging through her bag she found her deck. _And I know just how to do it_ she thought, laying her cards out.

The next morning, Hikari came downstairs with full intent on apologising to her father for last night. Yesterday had been so stressful for her, she had never considered the situation she had put her dad in, how she had made him feel. Now her head had cleared she realised that it wasn't fair.  
She wandered down the hallway toward her dad's office.

'Dad?' she said, knocking lightly on the door 'Are you in there?'  
The house was quiet as Hikari looked around, her dad was often up by 6 am, so it was odd that he wasn't already working. _You can take the man out of the military, but you can't take the military out of the man_ she had told him on multiple occasions. Entering her father's office, she found an empty desk. 'Huh,' she said, walking over to the far side of the room. A small note was affixed to the centre of the wooden desk;

 _ **Hikari,**_

 _ **I'm sorry I had to leave you again, but I promise it won't be long. A couple of weeks max. Just some run of the mill private security gig.**_

 _ **I'll make it up to you soon, promise.**_

 _ **Don't burn the house down while I'm away.**_

 _ **Love you kiddo,**_

 _ **Dad.**_

Hikari felt a lump rise in her throat as she read the note over and over. She felt horrible for how she acted yesterday, and now she couldn't even apologise. Sighing, she left the office, locking it behind her, with it, the bad memories of yesterday. She wandered into the kitchen and began to poke around the newly refreshed cupboards for breakfast, but a knock at the door distracted her from her task. Opening the door, she was greeted by the familiar tri-colored spikey hair she knew so well.

'Yugi!' she said 'Come in!' gesturing past her  
'Thanks' he said, his voice was still low and quiet as he took a seat at the kitchen table.  
'Want some breakfast?' she asked heading over, 'I was just about to make some pancakes' she smiled at him, knowing that it would perk him up a bit.  
'Sure, sounds great!' his voice sounded happier for a moment. Pancakes were Yugi's favourite.  
Hikari started fumbling around at the cooker, mixing together the batter. 'What's up?' she asked him as she stirred the mixture.  
'I'm still really worried about Grandpa' he admitted, his eyes falling again.  
Hikari gave him a sad smile 'I know, Yugi. But don't worry, we'll get him back'  
'I know we will' Yugi agreed 'But everything seems too dangerous. We don't know enough about Pegasus yet'  
Hikari mulled over his words, it's true. They didn't know enough about their foe, let alone how to beat him at his own game.  
'Yugi..' she began, setting down the bowl. 'There's something I need to show you'

'Hikari, this is bad news. I didn't know Pegasus was coming after you too!' Yugi's voice was grave as she showed him the contents of her package from Industrial Illusions. 'Do you think he has something to do with your dad being sent away again?'  
'It's a possibility' Hikari said, agreeing. 'But I don't know what he would want to do with me, you're the one who beat Kaiba, and you have the millennium puzzle. What do I have that he wants?' she asked, eyeing the pyramid around Yugi's neck.  
Yugi hesitated.

 _Perhaps I should talk to her?_ The spirit said to Yugi _Maybe I can shed some light on this.  
_ _Really?_ Yugi was surprised _If you think it'll help.  
_ 'Hikari, do you mind if the spirit talks to you about this? I think he might have an idea'  
Hikari was taken aback by the request 'Okay' she agreed tentatively. Then the boy in front of her changed, he became that taller, more confident man she had seen duel Kaiba, the same purple eyes stared back at her, but there was something else there, a fire that blazed within them.

'Hello Hikari' a deep baritone greeted her  
Hikari cocked her head to the side, unsure how to react to what was in front of her. 'Hello, uh-' she paused. She didn't know how to address the person in front of her.  
'Call me Yami' he offered, a gentle edge injected his voice.  
'Yami' she nodded.  
'I think I might have an idea as to why Pegasus has taken an interest in you' he said slowly. The last thing Yami wanted to do was overwhelm her with new information, he knew he had to take this slowly and carefully. 'You said you met Pegasus while you were living in Egypt, correct?' he asked.  
'Uh, yeah. When my dad was deployed in Cairo he would use my dad's squadron for security on his expeditions'The spirit nodded 'I think there was more to it than security' he said cryptically. 'Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?' he said slowly. Hikari waited.  
'Forgive me' he said, his eyes wandering over to a photo on the mantle of Hikari and her father. 'You don't look much like your father' he said. Hikari's eyes followed Yami's over to the photo he was referring to. He was right, Hikari and her father looked nothing alike, her midnight hair was much darker than her fathers light brown crop, her bright emerald eyes contrasted his sky blue and her rich olive toned skin was a few shades darker than his.  
'Yes..' she agreed carefully, not quite understanding where he was going 'What does that have to do with anything?' she asked, trying to control the sudden hostility in her voice.  
'What about your mother?' Yami asked, his eyes scanning the mantle, finding no evidence of any maternal figure in the photographs.  
Hikari crossed her arms, suddenly feeling defensive 'She died when I was young'  
'I'm sorry' Yami said quietly.  
Hikari remained silent as she tried to decipher the meaning behind Yami's questioning - _What do my parents have to do with any of this?  
_ 'Ever since I saw you duel against Joey yesterday' Yami continued 'I had a strange feeling that there is more to you than meets the eye' turning his attention back to the girl standing before him.  
'What does that even mean?' Hikari's patience was beginning to wear thin.  
'It's just...' he started 'Something doesn't add up' his eyes wandered around the room again.  
Hikari opened her mouth to start to ask him what he meant, but a flash of memory invaded her vision.

 _Dark chasms, men shouting. A glint of gold._ She squeezed her eyes shut tightly bringing her hands up to her temples.

'Hikari!' Yami called, appearing at her side 'Are you okay?' he grabbed her elbow to support her, the same pictures invaded his head as soon as his fingers touched her skin. Hikari turned her head sharply, opening her eyes wide to look at Yami.  
'Yes, ah. I'm fine' she said, not entirely convinced of her words.  
'What did you see?' Yami asked, suddenly urgent, gripping Hikari's upper arms. She looked back at Yami with fear.  
'I-I don't know!' she said looking at Yami. Yami looked down at his hands as if he suddenly realised what he was doing.  
'Hikari..' he began but was interrupted by the shrill ring of the phone. She stepped around Yami, leaving him in the kitchen trying to decipher what he just saw going through his head.  
 _Pharaoh, what was that?_ Yugi asked.  
 _I'm not sure_ Yami replied trying to make sense of it  
 _What do you think it means?_ Said Yugi  
 _I don't know_ Yami was frustrated _But I sense a greater danger is threatening us.  
_ Hikari reentered the room 'That was Joey' she said 'He wants to know if we want to hang out at the shop for a while and talk about a plan to take on Pegasus'  
The spirit nodded 'That sounds like a good idea, let's go' Yami turned and headed towards the door.

'Duelist kingdom tournament!' Joey exclaimed as Yugi and Hikari entered the game shop. 'That's how we're gonna take down Pegasus and get your grandpa back Yug!'  
Yugi and Hikari exchanged a look, Joey was about two hours too late to come up with the plan, but they agreed, it was the only viable option. Joey stood up, deck in his hand 'And I'm gonna help ya!'  
'We all will' Tea said, Tristan coming to her side 'We'll be in this together'  
Hikari nodded, 'No matter what'

The boat for duelist kingdom left tomorrow morning, and Hikari was still trying to decide on her deck. 'Should I take this one? But what about this card? But that only works if I have that..' she grumbled to herself, indecision racking her thoughts.  
Yugi, hearing her distress turned to look at Hikari, her bright emerald eyes wild with stress as she sat on the floor surrounded by her cards. He was about to offer his help when the spirit stopped him

 _Yugi, do you mind if I offer my help? I want to make up for upsetting her earlier._ Yami admitted, still embarrassed by his actions from a few days ago.  
 _Sure, no problem_ Yugi thought. He was glad that Yami wanted to spend more time with his friends, and he seemed more comfortable doing that when it was centered around dueling.  
 _Thank you_ thought Yami, as he took over. He blinked as he adjusted to the world before him, still feeling uneasy in a physical body, it would take some time to get used to it.  
Clearing his throat 'Need any help?' he offered, looking at her as she shuffled a few more cards around.  
Hikari blinked as she looked up, 'Uh, sure' she said, still feeling uneasy around Yami. She didn't know what his intentions were yet, it made her feel a sense of unease, but it was enough that Yugi trusted him.  
Yami knelt down studying the cards in front of him 'this is a powerful deck you have assembled, Hikari' he mused.  
She just shrugged, dueling for her was never about power or winning - she just did it for fun. But now, that had to change, there was so much more driving her now.  
'Hm, what's this?' he said, picking up a card from the pile, examining it carefully. 'Spirit of the Pharaoh?'  
Hikari let out a dry chuckle 'I suppose I didn't think about that card' she smiled at Yami. 'Let me see' she held her hand out. Yami passed the card over to Hikari, his fingers grazing the edge of her palm as he did so. _Spirit of the Pharaoh [2500/2000] Can only be summoned by playing the three sarcophagi magic cards.  
_ 'Maybe I should take it with me' she murmured, adding it to her deck as she looked through the pile for the necessary magic cards.  
'Interesting how all your cards are based around Egypt' the pharaoh observed, looking over the cards on the floor.  
'Well, I did live there for almost half my life' she said, picking up the magic cards 'It's a place that means a great deal to me' her smile turned soft as she remembered seeing larger than life temples, running through sand dunes with other children and the sound the wind made through the trees on the sunny days.  
The spirit chuckled 'So I can see' then his face fell ever so slightly 'I just wish I could remember my time there as well as you do'  
Hikari looked up at Yami, her expression turning soft 'You don't remember anything?' she asked.  
Yami simply shook his head, worry colouring his expression 'I wish I could, but all I know is that I once ruled Egypt as Pharaoh over five thousand years ago, everything else is..' he trailed off, unable to finish.  
'Yami..' Hikari's voice grew gentle as she looked at him, she was suddenly reminded of Yugi's innocence as she studied his face. 'We can help you get your memories back, I promise. We'll do whatever it takes'  
 _Together_ Yugi agreed quietly in his head.  
'Thank you, that means a great deal to me' he nodded as he looked up. 'Now, let's get finish your deck, we don't have long until the tournament begins' Hikari nodded as she looked back at her cards strewn about the floor. Yami stole a final look at her face before doing the same.

'Yugi!' Hikari called from the hallway 'It's time to go, let's get moving!'  
Nothing.  
Hikari growled, _Great day to sleep in_ she thought making her way into Yugi's bedroom 'Hey, sleepyhead, we gotta go!'  
A small groan came from the lump beneath the covers. Hikari just rolled her eyes. _Some things never change._ She picked up a stray pillow and threw it at him. 'Let's go!'  
'Alright alright,' Yugi conceded, yawning slightly. 'I'm up'  
'I'm going to call the guys, get yourself in the shower and make sure you're packed, we leave in an hour' Hikari said, closing the door behind her. _Growing up on an Army Base has some perks when it comes to organisation_ she chuckled to herself as she dialed Joey's number.

'Attention Duelists!' a man boomed from the front of the pier 'Please have your invitations and star chips ready, you will not be allowed to board without tournament ID'  
'Are you ready?' Yugi asked looking over at Hikari as she fumbled with the glove.  
'Mmhm!' she nodded, but the pit in her stomach was hard to ignore. The two lined up ready to board the cruise liner. 'Hey, look!' she pointed out two boys in the group of duelists behind them 'Isn't that Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood?'  
Yugi let out a small gasp 'Yeah, guess Pegasus invited the top duelists to compete' he bit his lip, suddenly worried.  
'Hey, let me go will ya!' a voice came from the side of the boat turning Yugi's attention away from the national champions.  
'There's Joey!' he pointed 'What's going on?' he started to jog over to the commotion, Hikari close behind. 'Hey, what's the problem here?'  
'This guy was trying to board without any star chips' the taller of the two men answered him, as he grabbed Joey by the wrist.  
Yugi's face morphed into an innocent smile as he held out a star chip in his hand 'Hey Joey, isn't this yours?' he asked offering the gold star to his friend.  
The two goons exchanged a look 'Each duelist is supposed to start with two star-chips, you'll be at a disadvantage' one said, obviously trying to sway him from the decision.  
'I'd rather be at a disadvantage than be without my friend' he said simply. Hikari felt herself smile, Yugi's loyalty is one of his best qualities.  
'Really Yug?' asked Joey as he broke free from the hold 'Are you sure?'  
'Yep! You deserve it Joey!' he said smiling widely.  
The taller of the suits grunted 'Fine' and they walked away without another word.  
'Thanks Yug, you have no idea how much this means to me..' Joey's voice cracked slightly 'Now we can take Pegasus down as a team!' he enthused.  
'Come on you two, let's go!' Hikari said as she started walking back to the registration area.

The ship was luxurious to the max, plush seating and gold fixtures adorned the main common rooms, as people excitedly chatted about the days to come. Another room filled with people trading their cards, still trying to hone their deck before the tournament began. Joey wasted no time to go get some new cards as Yugi and Hikari looked on.  
'How are you feeling?' she asked as they overlooked the water on the side of the ship.  
'Nervous' Yugi admitted 'There's so much riding on this tournament, it's hard not to be!'  
'I know how you feel' she agreed, her eyes never leaving the waves 'But as long as we believe in the heart of the cards, we can accomplish anything'  
Yugi grinned at Hikari 'Right'  
'Hey, guys! Check it out!' Joey called as he walked over, new cards in hand. 'Check it out, Kunai with Chain, Salamandra and Shield and Sword' he held the cards out for Yugi and Hikari to see.  
'That's great Joey!' Hikari said as she looked at the cards in his hand 'Now you have some great cards to backup your monsters'  
'Here Joey' Yugi said, reaching into his bag 'Take this card, it might help you out'  
'Time Wizard?' Joey studied the card 'Are you sure Yug?' he asked  
'Yeah! It'll help you more' he smiled closing his bag back up. Joey excitedly added Time Wizard to his deck, looking through his cards and discussing strategies with Hikari.  
'Hey, you're that Yugi kid right?' A voice said 'The one who defeated Kabia?'  
Hikari looked up from her conversation to see Regional Champion Weevil Underwood walking towards them.  
'Yeah' Yugi said, slightly embarrassed rubbing the back of his head 'You're Weevil, right?'  
'Yep!' he said 'Duel Monsters Regional Champion' an arragont edge making its way into his voice  
Hikari's brow furrowed, something about this guy didn't seem right. 'Hikari, you listenin' to me?' Joey pulled her focus back to her conversation.

The next sound sent a chill down her spine 'Say goodbye to Exodia!' she looked up in time to see the cards being thrown from the edge of the ship.  
'No!' Yugi cried as he watched his cards descend to water.  
'Hang on Yug, I'll get those cards back!' Joey said. Before Hikari or Yugi could do anything, Joey leaped off the side of the ship down to the icy water below.  
'Joey! No!' Hikari called as she desperately looked around for some sort of bouy to throw to him. 'I'll go get some help' she called to Yugi as she ran off. Sprinting around the deck of the ship, she crashed into a figure.  
'Woah there' Tristan said as he stumbled backward from the force of Hikari running into him.  
'Are you okay?' Tea asked, pulling Hikari to her feet.  
'Tristan? Tea?' Hikari questioned, then shook her head 'There's no time, Joey is in trouble!' she dragged her friends back to the railing where Joey jumped just in time to Yugi diving in after him. 'Yugi!' Tea called as she saw him dive. 'We have to get them out of there!'  
'On it!' Tristan answered as he broke the glass to release the emergency ladder from the hatch. 'Here, help me with this!' they unfurled the ladder down the side of the boat, 'Hey you guys! Climb on!' Tristan called holding it steady. Yugi looked up and grabbed Joey to urge him toward the ladder.  
The pair made it back onto the ship, soaking wet and panting hard.  
'You guys must be freezing!' Tea said worriedly as she went off in search of a couple of towels.  
'Why'd you do that Joey?' Yugi asked between breaths.  
Joey took a moment to catch his breath before answering 'It was your most precious cards Yug, I had to try' he held up 3 cards in his hand 'This is all I managed'  
'It wasn't worth risking your life for!' Yugi's tone rose.  
'I had to try Yug' Joey looked down at his feet, biting his lip 'I thought if I could save your cards, I could save..' he stopped himself.  
'What is it, Joey?' Hikari asked, sensing the change in his voice.  
'It's my sister, Serenity' he admitted, still not meeting Hikari's gaze. 'She's gonna go blind without surgery, that's what I had to enter Duelist Kingdom. I thought if I could get the prize money, I could save her' his voice cracked. 'But if I can't save a couple of cards, what chance do I have?' he sighed dejectedly.  
Tristan opened his mouth to answer, but Yugi had made his way to Joey's side. 'You have every chance Joey, you have your heart in your deck and when you believe in yourself and the heart of the cards, you can do anything' Yugi smiled, getting to his feet 'Now, let's go defeat Pegasus' offering his hand to Joey. He looked at Yugi's outstretched hand before taking it, getting up.  
'Yeah!' he agreed, a spark had lit inside of him, that fueled his passion 'Together!'  
Hikari's gaze was pulled from the moment as she saw a shadow appear on the horizon, 'There it is' she breathed.

Duelist Kingdom was upon them, and now there was even more at stake than before


	4. Chapter 4

'Welcome to Duelist Kingdom' a guard said as they departed the boat. The island was already beginning to fill with duelists from all around the world, as everyone looked around expectantly for their host and to size up the rest of the competition.  
'If you'd like to come this way, Pegasus will welcome you all momentarily' another suit appeared gesturing toward the castle in front of them. Hikari followed his arm and focused on what he was pointing at, there, nestled on top of a cliff, one of the grandest buildings she'd ever seen. Sandstone bricks made up the body of the castle and the large stained glass windows reflected thousands of rainbows over the staircase leading up to the courtyard. Her stomach suddenly knotted, for a moment, she felt like that scared little girl all over again hiding behind her father. Hikari just shook her head, _Not this time_ she thought, squaring her jaw toward the castle _This time is different.  
_ Yugi noticed Hikari staring at the castle and gave her forearm a reassuring squeeze which broke her out of her reverie, looking down at Yugi she gave a small smile, she was glad he was here.  
'C'mon slowpokes!' Tea called from ahead of them, Hikari looked over at her friend, not even realising they were already walking to the castle.  
'Shall we?' Hikari asked turning her attention back to Yugi.  
He gave a determined nod and started the long walk up the stairs.  
'Man, Pegasus couldn't afford an elevator?' Tristan asked as he leaned against a wall at the top of the mountain of stairs the group had just climbed. Tea and Hikari giggled while Tristan shot them a look of disapproval.  
'Ladies and Gentleman' a voice boomed from a group speakers set up around the courtyard 'Please welcome your host, and creator of Duel Monsters, Maximillion Pegasus!'

Right on cue, Pegasus stepped out from the double doors of the castle and waved at the group of duelists below him. Hikari's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the man on the balcony, his straight silver hair just as she remembered, in place of the khaki shorts and button down he wore while in Cairo he now wore an extravagant red suit, Hikari swallowed reflexively. 'Welcome Duelists!' he declared, holding his arms out as a welcome. 'You have all been invited here due to your incredible skills! Around the island are dueling arenas where the competition will take place' Hikari began to focus more closely 'To enter the castle, and be in with a chance to win the grand prize, you must wager up your star chips at the start of every duel, you are granted access to the castle when you win ten star chips!' Pegasus rose his glass toward everyone 'When the sky fills with fireworks, the tournament officially begins! Good luck.'  
The group of duelists below cheered as Pegasus smiled as his eyes found Yugi and his friends, his eyes slightly narrowing as his gaze rested on them.  
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, the friends began to head further into the island, readying themselves for the dueling to come. Hikari took her deck out from her pocket and thumbed through it, she was confident that her deck would see her through whatever challenge she was given, Yugi noticed Hikari's shuffling, 'Heart of the cards' he smiled at her.  
She nodded.

Suddenly, explosions rocked the sky as bright colours rained over the island. The tournament has officially begun.  
'Yeah!' Joey cheered 'Time to kick some Duelist Kingdom butt!'  
Tristan chuckled at his friend's enthusiasm 'Just be careful Joey, you gotta pick your first opponent carefully, these guys are seriously talented' he added more seriously.  
Tea agreed 'Tristan's right, Joey! This is your first tournament, so picking your first duel will be really important'  
'Alright, alright' Joey conceded, looking around 'Now, who looks like a good first duel?'  
Yugi and Hikari joined him sizing up the other duelists, there were some Hikari recognised from the televised regional championships, others that she had never seen or heard of before, _this could be dangerous_ she thought, biting her lip as her eyes continued to scan over the groups.  
The group began walking further into the island past the small groups, hoping that their first duel will find them instead of having to challenge someone. Yugi stopped suddenly, his heels digging into the dirt beneath him, his gaze pinpointed to a figure between the trees. 'Weevil!' he yelled, pointing at him 'I challenge you to a duel!'  
 _The creep that threw his Exodia cards into the ocean!_ Hikari thought, narrowing her eyes at the blue-haired boy. Weevil laughed as he turned running into the forest behind him. 'Come back here Weevil!' Yugi yelled as he ran after him, the rest of the group in tow.  
'Where's this guy taking us?' Tea panted as she tried to keep pace.

They arrived at a clearing a small way into the forest, a dueling arena took centre stage, surrounded by clusters of trees, Hikari was reminded of the arena that Yugi beat Kaiba in - _could that only have been three weeks ago?_ She thought. Weevil had already climbed on top of the platform 'Let's duel little Yugi!' he goaded, laughing grotesquely.  
'You're on Weevil!' Yugi called back, his eyes filling with determination as he stepped up onto the platform.  
'C'mon Yugi, squish this creep!' Tristan called.  
'Yeah! Show this guy who's boss!' Tea cheered. Hikari looked quizzically at her friends, _Weevil is regional champion_ she thought dejectedly. _Without Exodia in his deck, Yugi doesn't stand a chance.  
_ 'It's time to duel, Weevil!' a deep voice boomed across the arena, powerful, confident and full of passion.  
'Yami' Hikari breathed as she gazed up at the boy. His purple eyes found hers and he smiled, full of warmth. Hikari took a deep breath before calling up to him 'You can do it! We're all right here!' her green eyes sparkled as she watched Yami on the platform.

The duel started, with Weevil flaunting his field power bonus adding 500 attack and defense points to his bug cards by choosing the arena in the forest, but Yami countered with using a field power bonus of his own, on a small Wasteland portion of the floor.  
'Watch out Yugi, as I summon Hercules Beetle! [1950/2600]' cackled Weevil as the large bug appeared in front of him. Tea shivered next to Hikari 'I hate bugs' she whispered. Hikari let out a dry chuckle next to her friend, rubbing the top of her arm 'Good thing he's gonna squish it then!' she said back nudging Tea's shoulder, smiling up at Yami.  
'I summon Feral Imp in attack mode! [1300/1400] and I activate my horn of the unicorn magic card to increase the attack points of my monster by 700! [2000/2100]' Yami called, turning over his magic card.  
Weevil just stared at the monster and began laughing again. 'Ugh, that sound creeps me out' Tristan said under his breath as Weevil regained composure.  
'Too bad that a field power bonus trumps magic cards Yugi!' as he declared an attack. Hikari grimaced as Yami's life points dipped to 1800.

The duel continued, with Weevil building his incest cards up to a formidable level.  
'There's nothing he can do' a voice came from the crowd that gathered behind them. Tea and Hikari turned to see a blonde girl walking towards them. 'Weevil is a regional champ, Yugi doesn't stand a chance, even if he did beat Kaiba' she flipped her hair.  
Hikari gritted her teeth, _don't lose your temper_ she chanted to herself, remaining quiet. So, she was surprised when Tea made an outburst. 'And how would you know?' she growled at the girl 'Yugi has more skill in his little finger than Weevil does in his whole body!'  
The girl seemed unfazed 'Yeah, right' she scoffed looking over 'And what are you guys? The cheer squad?' she laughed.  
Joey turned and stepped between Tea and the girl before she lost it. 'I remember you!' he said quickly 'You're Mai Valentine! I saw you on the boat on the way over' a flash of recognition in his eyes.  
'That's right hon, and when Yugi is knocked out of the competition, I'll crush Weevil and take all of his star chips, heading straight to the finals!' she held up here glove, already five star chips were in place on the cuff.  
'Hey look guys!' Tristan called the group's attention back to the duel 'I think Yugi is up to something'  
Hikari looked over, Tristan was right, Yami had a smirk on his face. _What's his plan?_ She wondered looking at the field.  
'Say goodbye to your facedown card, Yugi!' Weevil yelled, declaring his basic insect to attack.  
'Not so fast, Weevil!' Yugi countered, turning over a face-down card 'You forgot about my trap card, Mirror Force!'  
Hikari gasped as the bug's attack deflected away from Yugi's Dark Magician and destroyed every monster on Weevil's side of the field, bringing his life points down to 555.  
'Yeah! Way to go Yugi!' Tea called, giving a side eye to Mai who looked on in shock.  
Mai looked in disbelief before composing herself 'Well, what do you know? Yugi might even have a shot at winning'  
Yami was doing well, activating Weevil's trap cards prematurely and keeping his monsters at bay.  
'Hey, guys, what is that thing?' Tea asked, pointing to a cocoon on Weevil's side of the field.  
'Oh no' Hikari breathed, she remembered this strategy from watching Weevil play in the championships. 'It's a cocoon of evolution, and the thing that comes out of it is bad news' she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She remembered seeing this strategy of Weevil's during the regionals.  
Weevil was laughing on his platform as the cocoon pulsated on the field, 'In a few turns, my monster will devastate the rest of your life points! There's nothing you can do!'  
Yami gritted his teeth as he drew his next card. 'We'll see about that, as I summon Gaia The Fierce Knight in attack mode! [2300/2100]' as he declared his attack, the group held their breath.  
'Sorry, Yugi! You didn't even scratch the surface of my cocoon!' Weevil said triumphantly, as Yami's life points went down to 750.  
Yami exhaled forcefully 'This duel isn't over yet'  
'It might as well be! In two more turns, my creature will be released!' he yelled.  
'C'mon Yug! Take this guy down!' Joey yelled from the side, his fist raised toward Weevil.  
'I play Curse of Dragon [2000/1500], in attack mode!' Yami said, as the dragon formed on the field, roaring at Yami's opponent.  
'Too late Yugi!' Weevil laughed 'My Great Moth has been released from its cocoon!' the giant moth in front of him, beating its wings, spraying the arena with poison [2600/2500].  
Yami chuckled.  
'What?!' Weevil yelled angrily across the field 'What's so funny?!'  
'You were so focused on your cocoon, that you failed to see my facedown card!' Yami laughed as Weevil gasped in shock. 'Polymerisation! Which I'll use to fuse Gaia and my Dragon together to form, Gaia The Dragon Champion!' Yami's monster came together, flying level with Weevil's moth [2600/2100]. 'Now our monsters are of equal strength' Yami smiled.  
'Yeah! Alright, Yugi!' Tea jumped, cheering. Hikari smiled up at Yami, _He might actually do this_ she thought.  
Weevil stood silent for a beat, then started laughing again. Tristan and Joey who were busy celebrating, refocused their attention on the battle 'What's that guy laughing for now?' Tristan asked, his voice growing angry.  
'You think that'll be enough to stop my monster?' he kept laughing, 'Look again Yugi! Thanks to my moth's special ability it decreases the attack power of your Dragon Champion's attack points!'  
Yami gasped 'Oh no, he's right!' he saw his monsters attack points decrease down to 1900.  
'Now my Great Moth, attack!' A gust flew from the monster's wings, shattering Yami's monster into pieces, he held up his arms to protect himself from the residual blast. Hikari's breath caught as Yami's life points dropped down to 50.  
'Oh no' Tristan said, looking up 'This is bad'  
'Hey!' Joey hit him on the shoulder 'Have a bit more positivity will ya! This is Yugi we're talkin' about, he'll have a way outta this!' looking back over at his friends.  
'This duel is far from over, Weevil! I activate Maiku, which cancels out the poison of your Moth!' a mist descended over the arena, dampening everything. Weevil looked confused before shrugging 'It hardly matters, there's no monster in your deck that can stand up to my Great Moth!' his jaw tensing.  
'Oh really?' Yami asked 'I summon my Summoned Skull in attack mode!'  
'What is that?' Mai asked, examining the monster that just materialised. Hikari turned, she had been so caught up in the duel, she forgot Mai was still standing there. An edge of superiority came into her voice 'Wait and see' she said, nodding toward the duel.  
'Thanks to the effects of my magic card, my Summoned Skull has its electrical attack raised, with more than enough power to take out your Moth! Now, attack!' Yami pointed toward the bug as it was engulfed in a ball of lightning, shattering into pieces. Weevils life points dropped to zero. Yami had won.  
'Yeah!' the group cheered, high fiving each other at his victory. 'Way to go!' Hikari felt a grin creep across her face as she looked up at Yami.  
'No way!' Mai said, eyes widening 'How did he do that?' she stood dumbstruck as the group ran over to Yugi to congratulate him. Weevil came down from the arena, shell-shocked.  
'How could I lose?' he wailed falling to his knees in front of Yami. 'My plan was perfect' he groaned into the dirt, his hand went to his glove, taking the star chips from the slot, 'Here, just take them' he said meekly, turning away from the group. Yami placed the star chips in his gauntlet, holding it up to look at them as they caught the broke from her statue, as she walked over 'I can't believe it!' she said looking at Yami 'You actually beat Weevil!' she closed her eyes as she shook her head, 'Maybe I'll save my duel for you another day, Yugi' she smiled 'Looks like I'll see you in the finals!' she winked and walked off.

Tea and Hikari exchanged a look as if to say 'Yeah right' they broke into a fit of giggles. When Hikari turned back, it wasn't Yami standing in front of her, but the small boy she knew so well.  
'Now what?' Joey asked, eager to get going.  
'Want to walk back to the meadow?' Tristan asked 'There were loads of duelists there when we left, I'm sure we can find another challenger somewhere'  
'What are we waiting for?!' Joey practically ran to the opening in the trees 'Let's do it!'  
Tea and Hikari hung back from the boys as they ran off, linking arms as they took a more leisurely pace.

'How are you doing?' Tea asked as they walked along the trail.  
Hikari just shrugged 'Nervous, worried, can't get rid of this bad feeling in my stomach' she listed 'take your pick'  
Tea looked over at Hikari, her eyes full of concern. 'Are you worried about your dad?' she asked gently, trying to gauge her reaction.  
Hikari bit her lip to stop it from quivering. 'Yeah' she admitted 'I don't know where he's gone this time, and I didn't even get a chance to apologise before he left' her voice low  
Tea squeezed the inside of Hikari's arm 'It'll be okay' she said reassuringly, 'Once this is all over, everything will be fine'  
'Thanks, Tea' Hikari murmured as they kept walking. 'How about that Mai, girl?' she said, changing the subject.  
Tea gave Hikari a grimace and the pair dissolved into fits of laughter.

'Hey, there you are!' Yugi said as Hikari and Tea emerged from the trees. 'So, Hikari, are you gonna duel someone?' he asked, his purple eyes shone with excitement.  
'I guess I better!' she smiled, casting her eyes over the crowds. There, on a log near the edge of the forest, a boy sat hunched over a laptop furiously typing looking oblivious to his surroundings. Hikari focused a little closer, she saw the glove on his right hand with two star chips locked into place. 'There' she pointed.  
'Alright, let's do it!' Tristen smiled as he gave a gentle punch to Hikari's shoulder.  
Hikari walked over to the boy and cleared her throat, he looked up adjusting his glasses. 'Can I help you?' he asked, obviously slightly irritated at the disruption.  
Hikari held up her gauntlet 'I challenge you to a duel!' she said evenly, trying to stop the nerves that threatened her voice. A small smile crept across the boy's face. 'Sure' he answered, standing up 'the wager?' he asked.  
H ikari bit her lip, turning slightly to see Yugi standing behind her giving her a nod of encouragement. 'Two star chips' she said confidently.  
The boy cocked his head slightly as if weighing up the options in his head before nodding once 'You're on'

They walked a small way into the clearing and stepped on one of the arenas that dominated the area. 'You ready?' he challenged, his voice had an edge to it. Hikari nodded as she drew her first card.  
'I play my monster in defense mode!' she said, placing her card down 'I end my turn'  
 _Yugi, may I watch?_ Yami asked in Yugi's head. _Hikari was there for me during my duel with Weevil, I'd like to return the favour.  
_ _Of course,_ Yugi replied, raising an eyebrow at Yami. He pretended to not to notice it.  
'You can do it Hikari!' Tea called from the side 'Show this guy some girl power!' she gave a thumbs up at her, smiling widely.  
'Good to see you have your band of motivators with you' the boy snorted as he summoned a monster. Hikari turned her attention back as she saw his monster appear on the field. 'Widget Kid, attack her face down monster!'  
Hikari's Eye of the Mystic appeared briefly before it was destroyed. She smiled.  
'What? Why are you smiling?' he demanded 'I just destroyed your monster!'  
'Yes, but my monsters special ability allows me to transfer a trap card from my deck to my hand when its destroyed'  
The boy's teeth ground together, 'Fine, get your trap card. It won't help you!' he threatened.  
'Yeah! You're in for it now!' Joey called to the boy, remembering when Hikari used the same move on him a few weeks ago. She looked down and gave Joey a wink. Her eyes fell on Yami who stood next to him, she smiled slightly before looking back. Adding her trap card to her hand, she drew her next card.  
'I summon Guardian Sphinx [1700/2400] in attack mode!' The large Egyptian statue formed on the field 'Attack his Widget Kid with Stone Fist!' she called as her Sphinx raised its massive stone front leg and crushed the boys monster underneath it. 'I also lay one card face down and end my turn' she grinned at her opponent whose face was bent into a grotesque sneer.  
'You'll pay for that' he muttered as his life points dropped to 1800. 'I play Leotron in attack mode! [2000/0] and I'll add to his power with this magic card, Cynet Universe, which adds 300 attack points to my monster [2300/0]. Leotron, attack her Sphinx with Lightning Howl!' The cybernetic dog raised its head letting out an ear-splitting howl before charging at the stone statue. Hikari raised her hands up to her face as her Sphinx shattered, her life points going down to 1400.  
'You can do it, Hikari!' Tristan called from below 'Don't give up'  
Hikari nodded, drawing a card trying to decide a strategy.  
'I'm getting older' the boy goaded from the arena 'Come on and make your move!'  
Yami studied the expression on Hikari's face, sensing her doubt. 'Believe in your deck, Hikari' he said 'Trust in the heart of the cards'  
Hikari's eyes met Yami's he nodded in encouragement. She turned back to her opponent, her eyes blazing with a new passion.  
'I summon The End of Anubis in attack mode [2500/0] then I'll activate the magic card Call of Maahes to increase my monsters attack power by 500!' [3000/0] 'Anubis, attack his monster!' Anubis roared, raising his Jackal's head and throwing the spear in his hand toward the cybernetic wolf, who let out a pained howl before shattering. The boy's life points dropped down to 1100.  
'Yeah! Way to go Hikari!' Joey jumped with his hand in the air.  
'Enough!' the boy yelled 'This ends now!' he drew a card and smiled, Hikari felt a chill run down her spine 'This duel is over. I summon Cyber Dragon, in attack mode!' [2100/ 1600]  
Hikari raised an eyebrow, _has this kid lost it?_ She thought looked at the steel dragon in front of her, _sure it's powerful, but it's still weaker than my monster. He must be up to something...  
_ 'Then I activate these two magic cards, Cybernetic Enhancement which increases my Cyber Dragon's attack power by 800 [2900/1600] and Steel Tornado which reduces the power of your monster by 500' he paused to let it sink in 'Now my Dragon, attack The End of Anubis with Solar Pulse!' Hikari was engulfed in a bright flash of light.  
'Hikari!' Yami called, his face a picture of concern 'Are you alright?' he waited for the light to fade and breathed a small sigh of relief as he saw her unharmed. Her life points dropped further, now sitting at 1000. To his surprise, Hikari was laughing as she appeared through the smoke. The boy's eyes widened, 'What?' he demanded, clenching his fists, then he noticed it, looking at Hikari's side of the field he saw a trap card that was played during his attack. 'What gives?!' he asked 'What is that?'  
'You activated my trap card' she said, her voice high with excitement 'Imperial Custom, this trap card destroys your monster when it destroys one of mine, you don't lose any life points, but it's worth it to get rid of that dragon.' Hikari felt like she was floating on air, so was so close she could taste it.  
The boy just laughed, the sound wasn't as vicious as Weevil's, but it still put Hikari on edge. 'Sorry to disappoint you, but you've not seen the last of my dragon yet!' flipping a card over on the platform 'I play Monster Reborn, to bring back my Cyber Dragon' [2100/1600] 'There's nothing you can do now'  
Hikari looked at her hand, he was right. She had nothing left in her hand to stand up to the power of his Dragon. 'I play a monster in defense mode, and end my turn' she said, gritting her teeth. _At least my life points will be safe.  
_ 'Pathetic' the boy spat, as his Dragon took out her Keeper of Alexandria. Hikari was starting to become flustered.  
'C'mon Hikari!' Joey's voice broke through her head 'You can do this!'  
'We're right here!' Tristan added, smiling at her.

Yami was silent, but Hikari felt more from him, he placed his hand over his heart and gave her a smile. She drew a card. 'I play Card of Sanctity, which means we both draw until we hold six cards in our hands' she picked up the cards, examining them. _There it is!_ Her eyes widened. _Okay, you have to play this carefully_ she told herself. 'I place two cards face down, and a monster face down in defense mode'  
The boy scoffed yet again, destroying Hikari's defense. 'You're stalling little girl, you can't keep defending forever'  
Hikari breathed out slowly, it all depended on drawing the right card. If she didn't, she'll lose the duel. _Heart of the cards._ Raising the card up, she glanced at it. _Yes!  
_ 'I activate my three magic cards, The First, Second and Third Sarcophagus, which allows me to summon Spirit of The Pharaoh! [2500/2100] but I'm not done, thanks to my Sarcophagus magic cards, my monster gains an additional 200 attack points [2700/2100]' she smiled as the boy looked on in a mixture of confusion and fear. 'I also activate this magic card, Tribute the Pharaoh, which adds 100 attack points for every monster in my graveyard' she paused, letting the boy do the maths [3200/2100].  
'B-but, I've sent so many of your monsters to the graveyard' he stammered, taking half a step back. 'That makes your monster strong enough to wipe out the rest of my life points!'  
'Now you're getting it' Hikari grinned 'Spirit of the Pharaoh, attack his Cyber Dragon with Judgement of Divine Light!' the monster raised its staff as it ran toward the metal dragon, with one swipe of the weapon, the Dragon shattered, and the boy's life points went down to zero, losing the duel.  
'Woohoo!' Tea cheered from the side 'That was amazing!'  
Hikari began to descend the platform, bringing herself down to the clearing. The boy shaking his head back and forth, looking at the cards in his hand 'But I..I calculated everything. I shouldn't have lost!'

Hikari went over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, he looked up meeting her gaze.  
'That was one of the toughest duels I've ever fought' she said sincerely. 'You played with courage and heart. It was an honour to duel you' she smiled.  
The boy paused, searching Hikari's face for any sign of sarcasm. 'T-thank you' he bowed his head.  
'Yeah!' Joey added 'You were great up there!' giving him a thumbs up. 'What's yer name kid?'  
'Maro' he said, looking down at his feet, his glasses falling down his nose slightly.  
'Don't be upset Maro' Joey said kindly 'You gave it everything you had out there. You just gotta focus on getting better for next time'  
Maro took a moment, thinking about Joey's words before smiling widely. 'Thanks! I'm gonna work hard at improving my strategy, then we'll have a rematch' he said, looking Hikari in the eye.  
She giggled 'I look forward to it'  
Maro held out his hand, 'Here, my two star chips. You earned it' he turned his head toward the pier, then sighed gently 'Guess I better get going. It was nice to meet you guys!' Maro waved as he grabbed his deck and laptop and walked in the direction of the port. Tristan, Joey, and Tea waved at him before excitedly talking about the duel that just unfolded.

'Well done' a deep voice came from behind Hikari, she turned to see Yami smiling at her.  
'Thank you' she smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear 'I should be thanking you, really' she let out a small laugh. 'It was with your help that I got through that duel' she hesitated 'Plus it was the card you convinced me to put in my deck that won the duel for me'  
Yami smiled 'Yes, I suppose it was' he glanced down at her gauntlet 'Here, let me' he murmured, affixing the star chips to the slots in the glove. Hikari tried hard to not focus on how fast her heart was beating. 'There' he said with satisfaction, holding her hand up to admire the four star chips. Their eyes met for a moment before Joey bounded over to them, Yami dropped her hand. 'C'mon guys, it's Joey Wheeler's turn to win' he laughed marching further into the clearing looking for his first duel.  
Yami looked at Hikari, 'Shall we?'

She nodded, following the group, her heart still beating hard in her chest.


	5. Chapter 5

'Who are you gonna duel, Joey?' Tristan asked as Joey looked across the clearing, trying to choose his first opponent. As Joey opened his mouth to answer Tristan, he was stopped when he saw Mai Valentine walking towards them from the other side of the meadow. 'Hey guys!' she called, waving. Hikari and Tea rolled their eyes at each other as she approached, _What does she want now?_ Hikari grumbled to herself.  
'Uh, Hey Mai' Yugi said quietly, trying to avert her gaze 'How's it going?'  
'Great!' she replied, a little smugly 'I'm halfway to the finals already!' she held up her gauntlet showing off the star chips in place.  
'Wow,' Yugi said, looking at the stars, impressed. 'That's great, Mai'  
'Thanks Yugi' she said, giving him a sweet smile. Tea made a quiet gagging noise next to Hikari who coughed to cover up her laughter. 'Anyway..' she said, pretending not to notice the exchange 'I need someone to duel next..' her eyes scanned the group in front of her 'And I challenge you, Joey' she pointed at the blonde standing behind Yugi. Joey looked wide-eyed at Mai.  
'You wanna duel me?' he asked pointing to his chest, looking either side of him to double check that she meant him.  
'Yes,' she said slowly as if to make it more obvious.  
'Joey, maybe you should look at a different opponent for your first duel' Tea said to him worriedly 'If you lose this, you'll be out of the tournament!' Hikari nodded, agreeing with her. Tea was right, as much as she hated to admit it, Mai looked like she was a talented duellist. _How else would she have 5 star chips on the first day of the competition?  
_ Yugi turned toward Joey, who was still looking at Mai. 'You can do this, Joey' he said fiercely 'I know you can'  
Joey looked down at his friend, raising an eyebrow as if to say _Are you sure?_ Yugi nodded once. Joey took a deep breath before turning back to face Mai, 'Alright Mai, you're on' he said stepping forward 'What's the wager?' he asked, holding up his glove, showing the one solitary star chip that Yugi gave to him before they went on the boat. Mai stared at the glove before letting out a quiet laugh. Tea growled.  
'Well Joey, since you only have one star chip, I'll bet you one of mine' she removed a star from her glove, holding it up. 'Let's go!' she turned on her heel and walked to the arena closest to them. Joey looked nervous as he stepped up to the platform and readied himself.  
'You can do it, Joey!' Tristan called up to his friend. Joey bit his lip, as he drew his first card.

The duel started, with Mai quickly establishing her dominance in the arena, quickly cutting Joey's life points in half. 'Gee Joey' Mai said arrogantly 'I knew you were an amateur, but I didn't know you were this bad. You shouldn't even be in this tournament. Oh wait, you weren't even invited. You're only here because little Yugi gave you a free pass' she laughed, flipping her hair.  
'Don't listen to her Joey!' Hikari called, gritting her teeth as Joey put his Baby Dragon on the field in defense mode [1200/700]. She felt a shimmering in the air near her, she turned to pinpoint the disturbance and saw Yami standing next to her.  
'Joey!' he called, his voice booming across the clearing 'You can do this, just believe in your deck!'  
Joey turned 'Huh?' he looked at his cards again, and a tense expression crossed his face as he tried to devise a strategy. Hikari felt her eyebrows pull together in concern as Joey picked his next card. _This could all be over soon_ she thought. He glanced across to it, his smile widening as he saw what card he'd drawn.  
'Don't count me out just yet, Mai, I summon Time Wizard!' the monster that appeared on Joey's side of the field was little more than a brightly coloured clock. [?/?]  
'Hey, isn't that the card you gave Joey on the boat?' she asked Yami. He just nodded, not taking his eyes away from the duel.  
'Time Wizard?' Mai asked, raising her eyebrows in confusion. 'That can't possibly help you against my Harpie Ladies' she gestured to the three creatures on her front line, their sharp claws looking dangerous. [2190/2320].  
'Don't be too sure' Yami said confidently, as Joey's monster held up the dial in its hand, two castles and four skulls were on the face of it. Hikari felt her breath hitch.  
'What does it do?' Tea asked, looking on in confusion at Joey's monster as the arrow started picking up speed.  
'If the arrow lands on the right part of the dial, his monster is about to get a massive power boost' Hikari explained, holding her breath as the arrow began to slow.  
'What happens if it doesn't?' Tea asked quietly.  
'He loses the duel' Hikari said solemnly looking at her.  
'C'mon… C'mon' Joey said under his breath. The arrow stopped, landing right where it needed to. 'Yeah!' he cheered, punching the air with his fist 'Thanks to my Time Wizard, my Baby Dragon just got a whole lot older, so welcome Thousand Dragon to the show, everybody!' [2400/2500] He said with his usual dramatic flair.  
Mai stepped backward as she realised what just happened. 'Now, your Harpie Ladies ain't looking too good' he pointed to the creatures on Mai's side of the field who were withered and haggard thanks to Joey's monster effect, she gasped as the penny dropped. 'Now, Thousand Dragon, attack her Harpie Ladies, with Inferno Fire Blast!' the dragon breathed in, releasing a bright orange flame from its maw, obliterating all the monsters on Mai's side of the field, reducing her life points to zero in a single blow.  
'Yeah! Alright, Joey!' Tea and Hikari hugged each other excitedly as they cheered. _He actually did it!  
_ 'How. How could I lose to such an amateur?' Mai wailed at the platforms descended.  
'Way to go Joey!' Tristan smiled giving his friend a smack on the back, Joey stumbled slightly but returned the grin.  
'I knew you could do it!' Hikari turned to see Yugi standing there again. _That's becoming hard to keep track of_ she grumbled to herself.  
'Lucky move, hon' Mai said as she approached, handing her star chip out to Joey. 'Take it, but don't get too comfortable, that luck can't bring you all the way to the finals' she scoffed and walked away. Hikari pulled a face as she left, making Tea giggle.  
'I can't believe I did it!' Joey said in disbelief, looking at the second star chip on his glove. 'I just thought about all the people who are countin' on me to win. My sister, your gramps..' he trailed off. 'Duelist Kingdom Finals here I come!' he jumped, his vigor renewed by his win.  
Tristan rolled his eyes 'You've still got a long way to go Joey' he chuckled.

The sun was beginning to fall behind the trees as the group continued further into the island. The first day of Duelist Kingdom was drawing to a close, and the friends were in high spirits as they walked, excitedly running through the events of the day. Joey's stomach grumbled, breaking through the excited chatter. 'Aw man' he sighed, sinking onto a nearby log. 'I'm starvin'  
Tristan fumbled around in his bag, 'Good thing I bought this with me!' he says, Joey's face momentarily lit up until he saw that Tristan was holding a book _A Wildlife Survivors Guide_ the title read.  
'I thought you had food' Joey sighed sinking back into his makeshift seat.  
Hikari rolled her eyes 'I guess it pays to be an army daughter' she laughed, producing ration packs from her bag handing them out.  
'Aw yeah!' Tristan enthused, hurriedly tearing into the pack 'I knew we kept you around for some reason, Hikari' he winked at her.  
'Gee thanks' she said dryly, sticking her tongue out in his direction. 'I'll go find some wood to start a fire' she said, walking off in search of some suitable wood to use.  
'I'll come with you' Yugi called as Hikari walked into the trees.  
'No, it's alright - I'll only be a minute' she smiled back at him giving him a reassuring nod.  
'Okay, if you're sure' he said, trying to hide the concern in his voice.

Hikari made her way into the tree cluster behind the small clearing they had chosen to set up camp for the night, searching the leaf litter for suitable kindling and wood for the fire. _I'm glad Dad thought to teach me basic survival skills_ she thought to herself. The thought caught her off guard, she blinked hard to clear the mist forming in her eyes, thinking about her father. _I hope he's okay, wherever he might be._ Shaking her head, clearing the intrusive thoughts she continued her search for firewood.  
Then she saw it, buried deep in the leaves that she wasn't sure if it was there at first, a glint of gold buried beneath the dead leaves of the forest floor, walking over for a closer inspection, she picked up the object. Hikari's blood ran cold as she examined the object in her hands. _No. It's not possible. It can't be possible._ Turning the golden cross over in her hands, her breathing quickened. In her hands, she held her father's Service Cross Medal he was awarded over his second deployment in Cairo. Inscribed on the back was ' _Captain Farrow'_ confirming her fears. She ran her thumb over the bird in the centre of the cross feeling the ridges of the feathers as knelt in the dirt. 'How is this here..' she breathed.  
Suddenly a branch snapped behind her. Hikari whirled around, her green eyes guarded as she clenched her fist around the medal.  
'Hikari?' Yami called from the trees 'Are you alright?'  
Hikari let out a sigh of relief as Yami walked into view, she hurriedly stuffed the medal into her jacket pocket and picked up the bundle of firewood at her feet.  
'Yeah yeah' she said quickly, walking over to Yami 'Thought I saw a deer is all' she avoided his quizzical stare.  
Yami grabbed Hikari's arm as she went to walk past him, giving her a long stare. 'Are you sure?' his voice low.  
Hikari met his gaze for a moment then looked down 'I'm fine' she said curtly. Yami dropped his arm his jaw tensed, and the pair walked silently back to the group in the clearing. _I can't tell anyone about this_ she thought _what if it puts my dad in more danger?_ feeling the weight of the cross in her pocket. _I need to figure out how it got there.. And I'm sure Pegasus has some answers for me._ Hikari face tensed as these questions ran through her head. _This is what the note must have meant_ her sudden realisation slowed her pace and she fell a half step behind Yami.  
'Hikari?' Yami turned to look at her. She pretended to rearrange the sticks in her hands 'Want me to carry some of those?' he offered, holding out his hands.  
Hikari gave him a small smile as she offloaded half of the weight into his arms.

Back at the clearing, Joey and Tristan had rearranged some logs and abandoned tree stumps into a circle while Hikari started to light the fire.  
 _Do you think she's okay?_ Yugi asked in his head as Yami played through the interaction  
 _I'm not sure_ he admitted, worry coloured his voice.  
'Hey, Hikari?' Joey pulled Yugi out of the conversation in his head 'Got any more food?' he smiled innocently rubbing his stomach. Hikari just laughed and nodded toward her bag.  
'I bought enough to last a few days, go ahead Joey'  
'Alright!' he grinned, diving into Hikari's bag to grab another ration pack. 'Did ya get these from ya dad?' he asked ripping into the silver packet.  
'Yeah' she smiled as the orange flames began to lick their way up the wood, illuminating the forest around them 'He always keeps a bunch in the kitchen, I don't think he ever fully adjusted to the civilian life after we left Egypt' her smile grew soft as she thought about her father, a big strong man, who's been awarded for his bravery - scared to cook an egg without supervision.  
As they sat and ate, warming themselves around the pit, Tea turned as she heard movement in the bushes 'Hey guys, did you hear that?' she asked, her voice shaking slightly as the group looked over to where her gaze was pointed. Out of the trees, a figure appeared, his white hair appearing silver in the weak moonlight.  
'Bakura?' Yugi asked, looking at the boy.  
Hikari looked over to see Bakura emerging from the trees, she had remembered seeing him in school occasionally, but she didn't know him very well. 'What are you doing here?' Tea asked as Bakura joined them by the fire.  
'Same as you guys, I guess' he smiled sweetly, his voice soft. 'I didn't get invited to duel, but I managed to stow away so I could at least come and watch what was going on'  
Tristan nodded, accepting his vague answer 'You gave us quite a scare there Bakura' he chuckled. The group seemed at ease with the new boy, so Hikari tried to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of her head.

'Joey, you've been staring at that card for hours' Tristan nudged his shoulder. Joey just laughed 'Sorry' he lowered his deck.  
'What are you thinkin about?' he replied, leaning back slightly.  
'I'll tell ya, just don't laugh' Joey's expression grew serious for a moment 'Sometimes when I'm in a duel, I pretend that it's me out there on the field attacking my opponent's cards' then he laughed 'Isn't that dumb?' rubbing the back of his head, trying to brush it off.  
'Well, if you were, what card would you want to be, Joey?' Bakura asked, smiling.  
Joey thought about it for a moment, thumbing through his deck 'This one!' he smiled, showing the group The Flame Swordsman. 'He kicks everyone's butt!'  
'What about you guys?' Bakura directed the question to everyone as they started shuffling through their own decks.  
'I'd be the Dark Magician!' Yugi smiled, holding up his favourite card. Hikari smiled at him, he loved that card more than anything, she remembered his excited emails while she was in Cairo when his Grandpa had gifted him the card for Christmas one year.  
'I'd be Cyber Commander!' Tristan said, holding up a card from his own deck. Hikari turned as she saw Tea shuffle through a small set of cards from her pocket.  
'This is mine' she said shyly 'The Magician of Faith!' turning the card Hikari smiled _I remember giving her that_ she thought.  
'What about you, Hikari?' Yugi looked at her expectantly.  
'Me?' she asked 'That's easy, I'd be my Guardian of Alexandria' picking the card from her deck.  
'This is my favourite' said Bakura, holding up a magic card 'The Change of Heart' he paused for a moment, taking in the cards around the circle 'Hey, I have an idea, how about you and I duel Yugi' Yugi turned to shoot a questionable look at Bakura, 'Not for star chips or anything' he said quickly 'Just for fun! And you guys can put your favourite cards in Yugi's deck'  
'That sounds fun!' Tea agreed smiling, handing her card to Yugi. The rest of her friends followed suit, but Hikari hesitated for a moment.  
'C'mon Hikari' Yugi pleaded, his eyes sparkling 'It'll be fun' she gave him a warm smile, handing her card over.  
'Just be careful' she said softly. Yugi gave her a reassuring nod and turned back to Bakura. 'Want to find an arena?' he suggested looking off behind him.  
Bakura just laughed 'No, let's do this the old-fashioned way' he pointed to a large tree stump behind Yugi.  
'I have an idea to make this a bit more interesting' Bakura said, an edge came into his voice which sent a chill down Hikari's spine. 'I have a millennium item too, Yugi!' he said as he pulled the ring out of his jumper which was attached to a length of rope around his neck. Then his voice dropped lower and became more sinister 'Let me show you what it can do.  
'Time stopped. Hikari felt herself being pulled from within herself and everything went dark.

 _But papa!_ She wailed, hanging onto her father's arm. _Do you have to go?  
_ The man looked down at his daughter, sighing _Yes, Hikari. We've been over this. I have to go_ stress seeping into his voice. He loved his daughter to pieces, but he wished she understood that this was his job. Hikari's bottom lip quivered as she tugged at the bottom of her t-shirt, her eyes cast down to her feet.  
 _How long will you be?_ She asked, her voice shaking. She didn't want her father to go away again, then a memory flashed into her head _Is it going to be with that scary man?  
_ He pinched the bridge of his nose _Mr. Pegasus isn't scary, Hikari  
_ Hikari pouted, disagreeing, but said nothing. She buried her head in the crook of his elbow, her hair falling over the rest of his arm.  
 _Captain Farrow_ a voice came from the other side of the office as a younger man entered, offering the captain a salute. He looked similar to Hikari's father, short cropped hair and a large build.  
 _At ease,_ he said as the soldier relaxed his stance. _Is it time?_ He asked, looking at the clock on the wall.  
The man just nodded, his eyes flashing to the child briefly. Hikari's father just sighed, _All right, I'll be there in a moment._ The soldier left his office without another word. _Be good Kiddo_ he said, kissing the top of Hikari's unruly black hair. Hikari just stood still, a tear escaping her eye as she watched her father leave the compound.

Then she heard a voice above her 'I play Guardian of Alexandria in attack mode!' _Yami.  
_ 'Huh?' _What's going on?_ Hikari looked down and gasped at her appearance. She was wearing a long cotton dress with accents of gold draping down her body. Her hair was made up in an elaborate braid and gold filigree tattoos adorned her arms making her body appear to shimmer, she turned to see where she was, but large silver and gold wings blocked her view and they fluttered in the breeze. _Where am I?_ She looked to her side to see Yugi standing there, but he was dressed in the same purple robes she had seen on his Dark Magician card. Confused, she turned her attention to the other side, seeing Tea, Tristan and Joey all dressed like their duel monsters cards they were talking about earlier.  
'Yugi, what's going on?' Hikari asked in a hushed whisper as she fluttered to his side.  
'Uh..' Yugi hesitated as if he was unsure of how to explain. He lowered his voice so only she could hear 'You know how Yami is a spirit trapped within the puzzle?' Hikari nodded, listening intently 'Bakura has a spirit in his ring, but it's not good. He's an ancient soul stealer' Hikari raised an eyebrow, doubt creeping into her mind 'He challenged Yami to a shadow game, placing our souls in our cards' Hikari suppressed the urge to laugh. _This is just a bad dream. It has to be._ But as she looked at her surroundings, she believed Yugi's story more and more. _How else would we end up here?  
_ 'Now, Guardian of Alexandria, attack his face down card!' Yami called breaking her out of her thoughts, she took a moment before she realised that it was her he talking to her. Unsure of how to attack, she took a deep breath, focusing her energy. A warmth spread through her chest as a ball of light formed between her palms, pushing it out from herself the light flew across the field and shattered the facedown card on the other side of the field. She looked over her shoulder, moving her wings down as Yami gave her a gentle smile, her wings fluttered again as she looked away. She couldn't tell if her heart was beating fast from the attack or if there was another reason.  
'I activate Change of Heart' the darker voice floated down from the end of the table, the card turned over and the group gasped as they saw Bakura materialise on his darker halves side of the field. 'Now, possess the Dark Magician!' he called, venom seeping through his voice.  
Bakura's voice rang through the arena 'No.'  
His alter ego growled 'I command you!' slamming his fist on the table. 'Do it now!'  
'I won't!' he said defiantly 'I choose to possess your monster!' as he placed his soul into the Lady of Faith on the opposite side of the field. 'Yugi, attack me! It's the only way to win the duel!' he called urgently.  
'Are you crazy?' Joey shouted 'No way!'  
'We're not gonna send you to the graveyard!' Tristan nodded, agreeing with him.  
'Attack me now!' he yelled as Yami and the spirit watched the chaos unfold.  
'We'll find another way!' Tea said, tears catching in her throat.  
Hikari looked up at Yami, pleading for him to find another way out of this situation. His eyes met hers and they softened. Yami's hand reached for the puzzle around his neck 'You forgot one thing Bakura' he said, the eye of Horus appearing on his forehead 'You're not the only one with a millennium item' A bright light came from the middle of the puzzle, blinding Hikari as she wrapped her wings around her body reflexively. When she lowered her makeshift shield, she saw that whatever Yami did, it changed the position of Bakura and his darker half.  
'No!' he yelled as he realised what Yami had done.  
'Now, Guardian of Alexandria, attack Lady of Faith. End this duel!' Hikari smiled, as she closed her eyes. The filigree on her arms began to glow, making her skin look luminescent as her wings beat, bringing her body off from the floor, the heat returned to her palms as the ball of light formed. She pushed it away from herself, aiming it at the spirit on the other side of the field engulfing Bakura's evil half in light when it dissipated the monster was gone. Yami smiled in triumph as Hikari returned to the floor. The group cheered, celebrating the win before Hikari's vision blurred and the darkness returned.

 _What are you doing here little one?_ A man spoke from the darkness. _It's okay. I won't hurt you.  
_ The girl huddled closer to herself. _Hey! There's someone down here!_

Tea sat up slowly, rubbing her head. 'Oh man, I just had the weirdest dream' she looked around at everyone who was also bringing themselves to sit up.  
Hikari opened her mouth to query the events that had just unfolded but closed it when she saw Yami place a finger to his lips, indicating that she should stay quiet. She looked over at Joey as he groaned rubbing his back when she turned back Yugi was in his place. She controlled the confusion on her face. Her hand reflexively flew to her jacket pocket where she felt the medal she found earlier, relaxing momentarily as her fingers stroked the cool metal.

 _What was that?_

'Where did you get that thing, Bakura?' Tristan asked, nodding to the ring round his neck. 'It was a gift from my father when he was in Egypt, he said he bought it from a merchant in Cairo' Hikari's ears perked up.  
'Your dad was in Cairo, Bakura?' she asked  
'Mmhm' he smiled 'A long time ago though' he trailed off. Hikari didn't ask him anymore, she got the feeling he'd rather not talk about his father. A sentiment that she fully understood right now.  
Joey yawned 'I guess we should get some sleep, guys. Gonna be a busy day tomorrow!' Everyone agreed, after that strange collective dream, they were worn out.  
Hikari grabbed her bag and placed it at the base of a tree, removing her jacket, she rested her head on her bag and placed her jacket over her like a blanket. Yugi made a similar set up under the same tree.  
'Night guys' Tea said sleepily. Soon Hikari heard loud, rhythmic snoring coming from the opposite side of the fire, but her mind was racing with too many questions to fall asleep as she tossed and turned. Sighing, she quietly removed herself from her jacket and wandered back over to the campfire, finding a nearby stick to poke the embers, reigniting the flame. Her gaze went upwards looking at the stars that dotted the night sky.  
'Can't sleep?' a deep voice came from behind her, she turned to see Yami approach. She just shrugged, turning her attention back to the campfire.  
Yami sat on the log next to Hikari, studying her face. He was silent for a moment before breaking it again 'Are you alright?'  
Hikari sighed, there was so much going on in her head, she didn't know where to begin.  
'I know you're feeling overwhelmed' Yami said quickly as if he was answering the unspoken comment in her head. Her eyes turned to his. 'You know we'll always be here to help you' he smiled at her softly his gaze sweeping around the campfire to her sleeping friends. He raised his hand as if to touch her shoulder, but quickly placed it back in his lap. Hikari said nothing, letting all the pain and frustration show on her face as she went back to poking the fire.  
'Lovely night' he commented, changing the subject. Hikari just nodded. She didn't understand why she suddenly found it so difficult to speak to Yami, but she appreciated the company, even if she didn't show it. 'Hikari' he said, his voice low and quiet. She turned her head to find his face inches from hers, feeling his warm breath washing over her face. There was no hesitation now, as he tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear. 'You can always talk to me' his voice solemn.  
Hikari became flustered as her heart beat harder, not knowing how to answer. Instead of saying anything she just shuffled closer and leaned her head against Yami's shoulder, wrapping her arms around herself. Yami stiffened for a moment before resting his head on top of hers.  
Hikari placed her eyes back to the fire, watching the last few embers die out as the colours disappeared in the ash. Just letting herself enjoy the moment.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Hikari awoke as the first rays of sunlight were bleeding through the gaps in the trees. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she sat up to find herself wrapped in her jacket back under the tree she had been under earlier. Disentangling herself, she stretched her arms up as she yawned. Nobody else was awake yet so she decided to restart the fire, despite the clear skies the air had a bite to it.  
Using the leftover firewood from yesterday, Hikari deftly started the fire again, the warm glow warming her face. She turned as she heard a large yawn from the other side of the fire 'Mornin' Hikari!' Joey said sleepily as he picked himself off the floor next to Tristan and Bakura.  
'Morning' she replied, smiling at him. 'Hungry?' she asked, though she didn't need too, Joey was _always_ hungry.  
'You bet!' he grinned, suddenly perking up as he dived into Hikari's bag retrieving the ration pack. He tore into it and began eating. 'How did you sleep?' he asked between mouthfuls.  
'Alright,' she shrugged 'You and Tristan snore' she looked pointedly at Tristan who was still fast asleep on the ground.  
'Eh!' Joey looked surprised 'I don't snore' he grumbled.  
'Keep telling yourself that, I'm surprised the whole island didn't hear you' Hikari turned as she saw Tea sitting up. She giggled.  
'Morning Tea, want some breakfast?' Hikari asked, holding out a pack to her.  
'Thanks!' she smiled as she began to eat her pack.  
'I'm with the girls on the snoring thing Joey' Bakura said as he joined the group, the bags under his eyes quite prominent. 'I barely managed to get any sleep thanks to that noise'  
The four sat and chatted around the fire as they watched the sun rise over the cliffs while they waiting for Yugi and Tristan to join them. Hikari was distracted as the others made conversation her hand grasping her father's medal in her jacket pocket. _Where are you, papa?_ She thought, her gaze fixed in the direction of the castle on the hill. Looking down at her glove, she sighed gently. _Still 6 star chips away.._

'Hey, Hikari, did ya hear what I said?' Joey asked, waving his hand in front of her face.  
'Huh?' Hikari turned back to look at Joey 'Sorry, I was just daydreaming I guess' she mumbled, 'What did you say?'  
'I asked ya if you were lookin forward to dueling today' he said.  
'Oh' Hikari thought about it for a moment 'I guess. I suppose I'm still worried about everything going on' her eyes flickered back in the direction of the castle again.  
Tea shot her a sympathetic look as Joey nodded. 'I know how ya feel' his voice grew serious for a moment 'But hey, at least we're all together, right?' he grinned.  
Hikari returned his smile 'Totally!'  
Joey and Hikari spent the next half an hour discussing their strategies for the forthcoming day as they waited for Yugi and Tristan to wake.

'Morning sleepyheads' Hikari said as the boys woke up, both bleary-eyed. 'There's still some ration packs left, grab some breakfast then we can head off' she jutted her chin toward her bag under the tree where Yugi had come from.  
'Sounds like a plan' Tristan yawned loudly as his stomach grumbled.

As Yugi and Tristan grabbed some food, the conversation turned toward the finals. 'What do you think Pegasus will be like?' Joey asked, breaking into his second ration pack.  
Yugi looked at the floor 'I dueled him once already, in that shadow game' he turned his face back to the group 'He's tough. He's got a millennium item too, an eye' Yugi shuddered as he cast his mind back to a few days ago 'I don't know how to explain it, he gets in your head. He knows exactly what you're thinking and what move you're about to make before you do'  
Hikari swallowed the pit in her stomach growing. Yugi shook his head.  
'But for now, we just need to focus on getting to the finals. Otherwise, this would have all been for nothing'  
'Yugi's right' Tea said 'None of this will matter unless we get into that castle' she stood up, stretching her arms above her head. 'C'mon, let's get moving, I bet there are duels already going on'  
'Good idea Tea, we need to get moving if we've got any chance of getting into that castle' Joey said, grabbing his jacket off the log.  
Hikari and the group disassembled their makeshift camp and headed back to the clearing they were in yesterday. As she checked her watch, her anxiety grew. _We don't have long.  
_ 'Hey, guys?' She called ahead of her 'I've just realised we don't have much time left until the finals are supposed to begin… Maybe we should split up, that way we can cover more ground. I've still got 6 star chips left to get, Yugi has 7 and Joey has 8!' she bit her lip.  
Yugi cocked his head to the side, considering her words before sighing and nodding. 'Hikari's right you guys, the finals begin tomorrow and we need to step up the pace'  
'Alright,' Joey said, clearly distracted as they neared the clearing. He was already itching to start dueling today, his confidence sky high after his win over Mai last night. 'Meet back in the meadow in a couple of hours?'  
Yugi and Hikari nodded.  
'Mind if I come with you, Hikari?' Tea asked, smiling.  
'Sure!' she said brightly. Hikari had a feeling Tea would rather spend an afternoon with another girl than one of the guys. The pair started walking in the direction of the cliffs, Hikari scanning for a suitable opponent.

'Cough up! I beat you fair and square!' a voice came from an arena just outside of the meadow.  
Hikari craned her head to see a small girl standing in front of a boy holding out her hand expectantly.  
'Ugh, fine' the boy replied 'Just take them.' he shoved the stars into her hand and walked away, catching Hikari's eye as he walked past 'Don't even bother' he grumbled.  
'Who's gonna take me on next?' the girl challenged the small crowd that had appeared while she was dueling. 'Come on! One of you must be brave enough!' a few people stepped back and dropped their gazes.  
Hikari cocked her head, confused. _She doesn't look so tough.  
_ 'I will' she offered, stepping forward, holding up her glove. A surprised murmur rippled through the surrounding crowd. Tea frowned as Hikari stepped forward.. 'Are you sure?' she whispered 'Seems like this girl is pretty tough' Hikari just nodded, squaring up to her challenge.

The girl let out a high pitched giggle 'You don't look like you're worth my time, but your star chips are better than anyone else's' She held up her gauntlet to show off her star chips. 'Since I know I'm going to win, how about we go all in?' her eyebrows raised, 'The winner goes to the finals!'  
Hikari felt her throat go dry, _all of them? If I lose this duel, I'll be out of the tournament.  
_ 'Scared?' the girl goaded her.  
Hikari tensed her jaw, stepping closer. 'Deal'  
The girl clapped her hands together excitedly, 'Yay! I'll be heading straight to the finals right after this'  
Another ripple went through the crowd 'Do you think she knows?'  
'Obviously not, why else would she challenger her?'  
'She doesn't stand a chance, not against Alice Winters..'  
A bell went off inside Hikari's head. _Alice Winters.. Where do I know that name?  
_ 'Are you gonna just stand there all day or we gonna duel?'  
Hikari grit her teeth and stepped onto the platform. 'Let's duel' she said, placing her star chips down.

'I'll go first' Alice said, drawing her first card. 'I play Fairy Archer, in attack mode!' [1400/600]  
 _Fairy Cards. Figures._ Hikari rolled her eyes as the cutesy monster appeared on the field. 'Your move' she offered.  
Hikari drew her card, _Okay, think about this._ She placed her Eye of the Mystic in defense mode, her staple opening move.  
Alice laughed 'Is that all you got? Fairy Archer, attack her face down monster!' Hikari smirked.  
'I was hoping you would do that' as she transferred her chosen trap card to her hand. _I'll save this for a while_ she thought.  
'I play Keeper of Alexandria, in attack mode! [1600/1000]' Hikari's monster appeared in front of her 'Take out her Fairy Archer!' she gave a smile to Alice as her archer shattered, sending her life points down to 1800.  
'Yeah! Great move Hikari!' Tea called from beside her.  
'Humph' Alice grumbled, picking up a card. 'Alright, let's see how you do against this! I summon Warrior of Zera in attack mode [1600/1600] and I activate this magic card, Fighting Spirit; which gives my monster an additional 300 attack points for every monster on your side of the field [1900/1600]'  
Hikari tensed.  
'Now, Zera, attack her monster with Battle Cry!' pointing toward Hikari's Keeper. Her life points dipped to 1700.  
 _I need to force her to play a more powerful monster_ Hikari thought, looking over her hand. 'I place one card face down, and summon Spirit of Mafdet in attack mode' [2000/1800] 'I end my turn'  
'Huh? Why didn't she attack?' Tea said out loud.  
Alice seemed unfazed 'You must be a worse duelist than you look! You know you're supposed to attack with your monsters right?' she laughed, looking at her hand.  
 _I'm waiting on you to attack me_ Hikari thought, glancing at her face down card.  
'I place one card face down and activate the magic card Mage Power, which increases my monsters attack and defense points by 500 for every spell and trap card I have on my side of the field. And I count three, which means my Warrior of Zera now has 3200 attack points!'  
Hikari kept her face even, ready to spring her trap. 'Now, Zera, attack her Spirit of Mafdet now!'  
'You activated my trap card! The Judgment of Anubis, which directs the attack on my monster right back at you, taking their attack power out of your life points. Which means this duel is over' Hikari grinned, but came up short when she saw Alice's face.  
'I had a feeling you had a trap card, which is why I had one of my own. Go, Solemn Judgement!' Hikari's face twisted. 'I may have to pay half of my life points, but the effect of your trap card is negated' Alice announced, as her life points dropped to 900.  
Hikari felt winded, she was counting on that card to win her the duel, now Alice's Zera was the strongest monster on the field and she had nothing in her hand that could beat it. She changed her monster to defense mode and ended her turn.  
'Is the pressure getting to you?' Alice taunted. 'It doesn't matter, this duel will be over soon' she said casually, adding another card to her hand. 'I play Archlord Zerato in attack mode! [2800/2300]. Take out her monster!' Hikari raised her arms to protect herself from the blast as she saw her monster disappear.  
'There's nothing you can do now!' Alice laughed.  
 _Winters. Winters! That's it!_ 'Wait, you're _the_ Alice Winters? As in, European champion Alice Winters?'  
'Took you long enough' she giggled 'Now do you see why you never had a chance in this duel?'  
Hikari's mind began to race as she tried to conjure up the duel's she'd seen Alice partake in. _Think.  
_ She came up blank.  
'I place one monster face down in defense mode and end my turn'  
'Aww, I was hoping for something a bit more exciting' Alice shrugged as she sent Hikari's monster to the graveyard. 'You can't keep defending forever'  
Alice was right, Hikari had to go on the offensive sooner or later, but she had nothing in her hand to stand up to her monsters. _Unless.  
_ 'I play Saint of Hieroglyph in attack mode [2000/1400] and I place one card face down'  
Tea bit her lip as she looked at the field, Hikari had more life points, but Alice's monsters were overwhelming in attack power.  
 _Please let this work.  
_ 'Haha, are you trying to lose on purpose now?' Alice laughed as she declared her attack.  
'You activated my trap card, Ordeal of the Traveller' Hikari held her cards forward. 'Here's how it works, you guess one card in my hand, whether it's a spell, monster or trap card. If you guess wrong, your attack fails and your monster is destroyed' Hikari took a deep breath. 'Feeling lucky?'  
Alice's face turned into a look of shock, Hikari had four cards in her hand. She shrugged off the uncertainty and confidently pointed to the card on the end. 'It's a magic card'  
Hikari smiled. 'Are you sure?'  
Alice suddenly became uncertain 'Uhh, wait. No. It's a monster card'  
'Final answer?'  
'Yes,' but Alice's voice was shaky. She didn't know how to play this.  
Hikari took the card and turned it around, revealing Monster Reborn. 'Ooh. Sorry! Better luck next time. Your monster is destroyed, meaning my life points are safe' Hikari breathed a sigh of relief as Alice's Warrior was destroyed. She wasn't out of the woods yet though, Alice still had her Zerato on the field.  
Alice's teeth came together with an audible snap. 'It doesn't matter!' she yelled 'Your monster is still weaker than mine, and now I'll finish what I started and destroy it!' Alice sent her Zerato to destroy Hikari's Saint of Hieroglyph, dropping Hikari's life points down to 1000.  
'Now I'll place one card face down, and end my turn'  
Hikari looked over her hand, she didn't have anything that could stand up to Alice's monster, and she'd already used her trap card. She grits her teeth as she picked up her next card. Just another weaker monster card. Hikari had run out of options, placing her monster in defense mode, she ended her turn.  
'I was worried you were going to go on the defensive again, so I put down a card to help me with that' Alice smiled as Hikari understood where she was going. 'I activate the card, Stop Defense, turning your monster back into attack mode'  
Hikari sucked in through her teeth as her life points dropped down to 200. She frantically looked at her hand, trying to come up with a strategy, shaking her head. _It's useless.  
_ 'Ready to give up?' Alice laughed at the other end of the field. 'Just surrender now, make it easier on yourself'  
 _Maybe she's right. I don't see a way out of this, she's too strong._ Hikari raised her hand to place over her deck when a voice broke through to her.

'Hikari!'

 _Yami._

Hikari turned her head, her hand still halfway to her deck.  
'You can't give up. Not now. You've come so far'  
'But..' Hikari began, turning away from him.  
'No' his voice was firm 'Believe in your deck, you know you can do this' Yami nodded, looking up at her.  
Hikari gave a determined nod in return and faced Alice again.  
'This duel is not over yet' she said, fire coming back into her voice. _Heart of the cards._ Hikari needed to draw the right card now, or it was all over. She drew and found the card she needed.  
'I summon, Guardian of Alexandria, in attack mode! [2800/2500] and I activate this magic card, Ancient Texts. This increases my monsters attack power by 500, giving it more than enough attack power to wipe out your life points'  
'No!'  
'Now my Guardian, attack her Zerato directly!' Hikari saw the monster emit a large ball of light from her palms, shattering the creature in front of her.  
'Yes!' Hikari called in triumph as Alice's life points dropped to zero.

 _I did it. I actually did it._ Then it hit her. _I'm going to the finals!  
_ 'Hikari!' Yami called to her as the platform descended. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around him. He hesitated for a moment, then returned the hug.  
'How did you do that?!' a voice came from behind them, Alice had marched over to Hikari to demand an answer.  
'You should have lost! This is so unfair!' She crossed her arms and pouted.  
Hikari turned to face Alice, but Yami spoke before she could 'Hikari believed that her deck would bring her victory' he said, stepping in front of her 'You need to place  
your respect and trust into your cards. Then, you will be assured victory in your endeavors'  
Alice was taken back by Yami's words, her eyebrows pulled together as she mulled it over. 'Duel monsters is about power!' she said when her silence was finished. 'Monsters are there to serve you a purpose' she huffed, digging into her pocket, producing the star chips that Hikari was promised. 'Take them' she held her hand out 'It doesn't matter' she turned away.  
Yami simply shook his head as he watched her leave, looking like he wanted to say more.  
Hikari caught his arm 'Don't...' she said softly, catching his gaze. 'She's young, she'll learn eventually'  
Yami nodded, 'I suppose you're right' he conceded.  
Tea pulled Hikari out of Yami's eyes 'Hikari!' she said excitedly 'You're going to the finals!'  
'I guess I am!' she grinned back at her friend, placing the final star chips onto her glove, looking over the glints of gold on the cuff.  
'How did you do today Yugi?' Tea turned to him.  
'Pretty good!' the gentle voice replied, indicating Yami had let Yugi take back over. 'I faced Mako Tsunami, and won another 3 star chips!' he held up his glove, showing them off.

'Woah, Mako? I've heard he's super tough. But that's great!' Tea enthused, congratulating him. 'Hey, where do you think Joey is?' she asked, looking around for the blonde.  
'Maybe he's dueling' Yugi suggested, scanning the arenas around the meadow looking for him.  
'Let's go' Hikari said, nodding in the direction they came from.

Hikari heard Joey before she saw him, finding the right arena just outside of the forest. Hikari stopped in her tracks when she saw what was in front of her. There, standing across from Joey, was a regional finalist, Rex Raptor, but that's not what stopped her.  
'What is that thing?' Tea whispered to her, her voice shaking.  
Standing in front of Joey, a huge dragon stared at him threateningly, its eyes red and dangerous, contrasting its skin which was jet black, casting a large shadow over the field.  
'Red Eyes Black Dragon' Hikari said gently. 'It's one of the most powerful cards in duel monsters' [2400/2000] 'And Rex has a magic card attached to it, giving it another 600 attack points. [3000/2000]  
Joey looked at the dragon in front of him, but Hikari noted he didn't look scared. He looked determined.  
'C'mon Rex, crush this amateur!' Hikari turned to see Mai Valentine standing behind Rex.  
'Tristan, Bakura!' Yugi called, running over to him. 'What's going on?' he asked, looking at the duel.  
'Mai is using Rex Raptor to take Joey down for beating her yesterday' Tristan's voice was tense, his eyes didn't leave the field. 'They've also made a bet, the loser has to give his rarest card to the winner' he shook his head.  
'Oh no,' Tea said, moving closer.  
'Don't count Joey out just yet' Yugi said carefully 'He's come a long way since he began dueling, I know he can do this'  
Hikari surveyed the field, Rex had 840 life points left, Joey had 235 and no monsters on the field in the face of Rex's Red-Eyes.  
'Well, Joey better come up with something quick, before that dragon wipes out the rest of his life points' Bakura said quietly.  
'You can do it, Joey!' Tea yelled up at him.  
Joey looked down at the group that had gathered by his side and turned back to his hand.  
'Alright, I summon Time Wizard!' Joey places the card down, bringing the monster onto the field.  
'Watch out Rex!' Mai called from the side. Tea and Hikari narrowed their eyes. 'That's the card he used to defeat me!'  
'Ugh, I can't stand her' Tea whispered to Hikari, making a face.  
'Go, Time Wizard!' Joey called as the dial started spinning.  
'C'mon' Hikari pleaded under her breath. If this doesn't work, Joey will lose the duel.  
Rex stared the monster down, holding his breath. Nobody dared breathe as the dial began to slow. Tea grabbed Hikari's hand as the dial stopped. Right, where it needed to be.  
'Yeah!' the group cheered as the effect of Time Wizard took place, warping the field aging everything by one thousand years.  
'No! My Dragon!' Rex cried as the smoke cleared, leaving his dragon a giant fossil before disintegrating. Rex's life points dropped to zero, Joey had won the duel.  
'Alright!' he cheered, raising his hand in the air in triumph.  
'Way to go Joey!' Yugi laughed 'I knew you could do it!'  
'Thanks Yug' Joey rubbed the back of his head as Rex made his way over.  
'Here' he said bluntly 'My star chips and my Red-Eyes Black Dragon'  
'How did he lose?!' Mai demanded 'You're supposed to be an amateur! How did you beat a Regional Finalist?!' she huffed, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder. 'Forget it. That luck will run out soon enough'

'God, what is her problem?' Hikari snorted as she walked away.  
'Who cares?' Tea answered, turning toward Joey. 'What's more important is that you won!'  
'All on his own!' Tristan added.  
Tristan was right before this Joey always had Yugi to back him up and give him help when he needed it. Joey had just defeated Rex on his own terms, and become a stronger duelist in the process. The air was full of positivity as the group walked across the island. Hikari had made it to the finals, and Yugi and Joey were well on their way to doing the same.

For the first time since arriving on the island, Hikari had a feeling of hope. Then she felt the medal in her pocket, remembering she still had a long way to go until this was over.


	7. Chapter 7

'Aw yeah!' Joey cheered, looking down at his glove 'Duelist Kingdom finals, here we come!' he enthused, grinning at Yugi and Hikari as they walked down to the edge of the island. The competition had begun to thin out as more and more duelists left the island. 'I can't believe the finals start tomorrow!'  
'I know' Hikari answered but she couldn't match Joey's electric mood, her nerves were still high. She'd already qualified for the finals, but now she was worried about facing Pegasus. More so, what he wanted from her. The medal in Hikari's pocket suddenly weighed a ton. _I promise I'll find you, papa.  
_ 'Focus Joey' Yugi said quietly 'We need to stop Pegasus and free my grandpa' his gaze turned toward the castle nestled at the top of the cliff behind him. Joey's eyes followed Yugi's stare, his expression turning fierce.  
'I promise Yug, we'll get your gramps back. I've got people I'm fightin for too. My sister is countin' on me' Joey hit Yugi on the shoulder.  
 _Me too Joey, me too._ Hikari clenched her fist around the cool metal of the medal in her pocket, trying to control her expression. As they neared the docks, they heard a voice.

'It's not fair, I didn't even lose my star chips in a duel!'  
'What's going on?' Tea asked as she turned toward the noise.  
'I dunno' Tristan answered 'Let's go check it out' as headed in the direction of the disturbance. When they rounded the corner, the group found one of Pegasus' henchman was sending a group of duelists off the island in a boat, but one boy was refusing to leave.  
'Some kid stole them from me!' he protested at the suit. 'It's not fair'  
'No star chips, no admission onto the island' he said evenly, looking down at the boy, his expression hard.  
'Someone stole your star chips?' Yugi asked, stepping forward. 'Who was it?'  
'I don't know' the boy answered 'He was wearing a mask, he took my deck too!'  
'We'll get your star chips back!' he said, determined as everyone else nodded. Hikari smiled down at Yugi, she always admired his kindness toward others.  
'You will?' he asked surprised, looking up.  
'Of course!' Bakura answered, smiling.  
'Where did you lose 'em?' Joey asked the boy.  
'In the forest, he challenged me to a duel, but then he took all my star chips' the boy's eyes went to his feet again.  
'Alright, we'll go see if we can find him and get your star chips back!' Yugi turned and started heading toward the forest.  
'Thank you!' the boy called after them as they walked away.

'You sure this is a good idea?' Hikari said to Yugi as they walked towards the forest arena that the boy described.  
'We can't just let that guy get kicked off the island!' Yugi said, a determined look on his face.  
Hikari just nodded, Yugi was right, it wasn't fair, but she couldn't help but feel anxious about how close they were cutting it to get to the finals.  
'Looks like this is the place' Tristan said as they reached the forest. 'What's the plan?' he turned to the group.  
Yugi started to sit on the ground 'I think we should just wait here' he said simply.  
'Wait here?' Tea asked, confused.  
'Yeah, I mean if this kid has done it before, he might do it again' Yugi said  
'It's a good a plan as any' Hikari shrugged, joining Yugi on the ground. Everyone followed suit keeping their eyes on their surroundings.

It wasn't long before Joey heard movement in the bushes. 'Huh?' he said turning his head around to the noise. Suddenly, a figure leaps from the bushes in front of Yugi.  
'That must be him!' Tristan exclaimed, 'I'll handle this punk!' Tristan took a step toward the masked boy, but Yugi put his hand up stopping him.  
'Yugi! I've been waiting for you' the boy pointed at him, ignoring Tristan. 'I challenge you to a duel!'  
'You don't have to duel this guy Yug!' Joey said jumping up 'Let's just get those stolen star chips back and get outta here!'  
'Joey's right Yugi!' Tea nodded 'We don't have much time until the boat leaves' she bit her lip as she looked over her shoulder in the direction of the docks.  
'It's fine guys' Yugi looked back at his friends, reassuring them 'I accept your challenge!' he turned back to the masked boy.  
'Alright' he said evenly 'I want to knock you out of this tournament Yugi, so I wager 5 star chips!' the boy dug into his pocket and produced the stolen star chips.  
'They don't even belong to you!' Hikari couldn't contain her anger. She stared the boy down, a mess of black hair and steel eyes. Although most of his face was covered by the bandana, Hikari couldn't shake a thought.  
 _Why does this boy seem so familiar…  
_ Yugi and the masked boy headed to the duel arena, climbing up to the platforms.  
'I'll duel you, but only because I think I know why you're doing this' a deep voice came from the platform as Hikari looked over to see Yami standing in place.  
'I don't care what you think' the boy spat at Yami 'You'll lose regardless, and when you do everything will be right again'  
'I summon Man-Eating Plant!' [800/600] said the boy, placing his stolen card onto the field.  
'I summon Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress!' Yami countered with the monster, destroying the boys plant bringing his life points down to 1400. 'You can't win with cards that don't belong to you. Your heart is supposed to live within your deck, how can you believe in the heart of the cards if those cards are someone else's?' Yami shook his head, trying to get through to the boy.  
' _Heart of the cards'_ the boy mocked him 'Duel monsters is all about power, I don't believe in that heart of the cards stuff' he scoffed. Hikari's blood started to boil.  
'Hm' Yami let out a tense chuckle 'I had a feeling I knew who you were when I first saw you, now I'm certain. Show yourself, Mokuba!' Yami called sweeping his hand toward the boy.  
 _Mokuba? Mokuba Kaiba? Seto's brother? What's he doing here?  
_ 'Well done, Yugi' Mokuba said as he removed the bandana from his face 'You figured it out' he narrowed his eyes at Yami.  
'Why are you here?' Yami asked, looking at Mokuba.  
'After you defeated my brother he was humiliated, he refused to even come to the tournament' Mokuba bit his lip as he thought about Seto. Hikari couldn't help but feel bad for him. 'And now he's gone away, and Pegasus is trying to take over Kaiba Corp!'  
'What?' Joey grit his teeth as the air hissed through his mouth. 'Pegasus is trying to take over your brother's company?' he shook his head in disbelief.  
'Yeah' Mokuba's voice grew quiet for a moment before shaking his head once 'After my brother left, Pegasus kidnapped me and held me in his castle so he can get control over KaibaCorp. I managed to escape, and now I need to do anything it takes to get Seto back and defeat Pegasus'  
'Mokuba!' Yami tried to appeal to him 'We've got the same goal, I'm trying to get my grandfather back from Pegasus. It would be better if we worked together'  
'Yugi! Mokuba must think that if he defeats you, then Pegasus' won't be able to take over KaibaCorp!' Tea called, realising Mokuba's plan.  
'Huh, where'd that kid go?' Tristan interrupted, craning his head to look at Mokuba's platform. Suddenly, he appeared at Yami's platform and grabbed his starchips and began running in the opposite direction, too quick for Tristan to grab him as he stumbled over.  
'Mokuba! Wait!' Yami called from the platform as Mokuba started running 'What would Seto think of you right now?' Mokuba stopped in his tracks, turning toward Yami as he thought about his words. 'Seto is just confused, after our duel I opened his mind and banished him from the darkness that was within him. He's trying to find himself.' Yami's voice grew solemn. 'Once he learns about the true heart of the cards, he will come back to you' Yami nodded.  
Mokuba turned fully toward Yami who was still on the platform, his eyes beginning to swim with tears.  
'I need you to trust me. Together, we will take down Pegasus' Yami paused for a moment letting his words sink in 'But I need you to return the star chips and the cards to the boy you stole them from'  
Mokuba took a deep breath as he surveyed the group in front of him. Looking down at his shoes he mumbled an agreement. 'I'm sorry. I'll give them back. I just wanted Seto to come back.'  
'Good, we've not got much time left before the boat leaves' Hikari smiled at Mokuba. _Hard to believe those two are related_ she thought.

With Mokuba in tow, the group started to run back to the docks, praying they weren't too late.  
'No!' Hikari groaned as they saw the boat gone from the dock. 'Hey!' she turned to the goon they saw earlier 'You said the boat wouldn't leave for half an hour!' her tone accusatory.  
'Too bad' he just shrugged, then his eyes fell onto Mokuba. 'There you are!' he lunged for him and caught him by the wrist, lifting him up into the air. 'Master Pegasus has been wondering where you'd gotten off to' he laughed.  
'Let him go!' Hikari ran towards the henchman without thinking and was struck on the side of her face, flying backward. 'Ah!' she groaned as she hit the floor, her face on fire.  
'Hikari!' Yami ran over to her as the others were frozen in place, helping her sit up. 'Release him at once!' Yami demanded angrily.  
'No can do' the suit said bluntly 'This kid is an esteemed guest of Master Pegasus' his eyes went down to the glove on Hikari's wrist. 'You should be at the castle already' he paused for a moment before looking Hikari in the eyes 'Miss Farrow'  
Hikari felt like ice was injected into her veins. 'How do you know who I am?' she demanded, ignoring her body's protests, she stood to face him.  
A dark chuckle came from the goon 'Mister Pegasus has taken quite an interest in you and your little group, Miss Farrow. You and Mr. Muto are of particular interesting' he cocked his head to the side thinking for a moment 'In fact, Mister Pegasus has just requested your presence at the castle as well' he stepped forward, still holding onto Mokuba grabbed Hikari's arm with his other hand, she yelped in pain as the grip on her arm tightened. 'Let me go!' she screamed, trying to loosen his hand, but to no avail.  
'Hikari!' the group gasped as their friend was pulled away from them.  
'This stops now!' Yami's voice grew furious as he saw Hikari pulled away from his reach 'I challenge you to a duel for my friend's freedom!' he declared, squaring his shoulders.  
The goon just laughed, 'Fine' he said 'Meet me at Arena 146 in two hours, then you'll have a chance to save your friends' he turned on his heel, walking away from the group, dragging Hikari and Mokuba with him. Hikari tried to keep her eyes on Yami's face until she was pulled around the corner. Seperated.

Hikari and Mokuba were dragged to the outskirts of the forest into a small cabin where they were restrained. Her wrists were raw and aching against the coarse rope that held her in place. She glanced to her left where Moukba was sat, he was quiet and his bottom lip was quivering. 'Don't worry' she whispered as her eyes glanced right to where Pegasus' henchman was sat. 'Yugi will get us out of this'  
Mokuba's eyes flickered to Hikari, then to the man and back to Hikari. His expression was doubtful. 'I promise' she said, determined. _If anyone can help us, it's Yami. Once he wins the duel, we'll be able to take down Pegasus as a team. But it still doesn't explain how this man knows who I am, or why I'm so important to Pegasus.  
_ A loud ring broke through Hikari's train of thought, as the suit glanced down to his phone. 'Sir' he answered curtly 'Yes, I have them' he paused for the response. 'Don't worry, the duel will be starting soon, then once Yugi Muto loses, I'll bring the boy and Miss Farrow back to you' he went quiet again 'Of course, sir' then snapped the phone shut. He turned to Hikari and a sly grin crawled across his face, 'It's almost time. Mister Pegasus is looking forward to welcoming you to the castle'  
Hikari growled, pushing against the rope that bound her. 'Pegasus won't get away with this'  
The man just laughed 'Oh, don't you see Miss Farrow' he said 'He already has'.

When the two hour deadline had expired, the henchman dragged Hikari and Mokuba toward the arena, their wrists still tied together. Hikari couldn't help but feel relieved when she saw Yami standing there. His gaze immediately found her, looking her up and down to ensure she wasn't hurt, he cringed when his eyes found the mark on her face which was already swelling badly.  
'Hikari!' Tea called, her voice breaking 'Are you alright?' her hand went to her own face when she saw the bruise.  
'I'm fine' she tried to be reassuring, glancing to the henchman.  
'When I win this duel, you'll let both of them go!' Yami demanded, his voice filled with rage.  
'Oh, you won't be dueling me, Yugi' the man laughed, 'Your opponent is standing right there' he gestured to the platform.  
'No!' Mokuba cried as he saw who was at the top of the platform. Hikari followed the henchman's arm as she saw what Mokuba was upset about. There, standing on the platform was Seto Kaiba.  
But it wasn't. Kaiba looked haggard, a dark shadow encased his eyes making him look sinister. She wasn't sure, but Hikari swore she saw a dark aura encircling him.  
'Kaiba?' Yami gasped surprised to see him.  
An evil laugh came from Kaiba 'Yes Yugi. It's me, and this time I'll win this duel and regain my title and wipe you out'  
'Our little friend over here had a nasty fall recently, but he's still managed to come all the way out here to duel you' the henchman let out a dark laugh.  
'No! It's got to be a trick. You liar!' he fought against the goon's restraints.  
'This is a trick' Yami declared, looking back at the henchman 'this Kabia is nothing but an imposter created by Pegasus' he turned to Mokuba as he stood across from Kabia 'This is not your brother, and I promise I will defeat this trick, and we will get your brother back' he said firmly.  
'There's no way you can beat me now Yugi, without Exodia in your deck there is no way you can stand up to my power' Kaiba laughed darkly. Hikari bit her lip, 'Kaiba' was right, the only way Yugi won against him last time was by using Exodia.  
 _Relax._ Hikari chastised herself, _t_ _here's no way this guy is using Kaiba's deck._ But she was quickly taken back when Kaiba summoned his first monster.  
'Hitotsu-Me Giant?' Mokuba looked up 'But my brother has that card in his deck, but that means..' he trailed off looking down at his feet.  
Yami locked his jaw as he took in the monster. 'That's no match for my Dark Magician!' he countered, dropping Kaiba's life points down to 700 in his first turn.  
The man opposite him merely chuckled, 'I hope you're ready Yugi, because if you had any doubts about my credibility before, this should convince you now. I summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!' he declared, as the monster materialized.  
'Impossible' Hikari breathed as the Dragon unleashed a mighty roar directed at Yami.  
'Wait guys, isn't that the same Blue-Eyes Kaiba has in his deck?' Tristan asked, eyes widening.  
'No! You liar!' Mokuba started to push against his bindings. Hikari quickly went to his side to try and calm him, but Mokuba was too frantic. Seeing his brother's card was too much for him.  
'Does this mean Kaiba is really..?' Tea started but stopped, seeing Mokuba. Hikari gave her a small head shake.  
Kaiba seemed unfazed by his brother's outburst. 'Such a shame Yugi, did you really believe that I was a trick?' he drew a card 'I'm not an illusion, or a smokescreen. I'm the real deal, and this time I will be victorious in this duel'  
Yami locked his jaw, breathing out harshly before setting Curse of Dragon in defense mode and changing his Dark Magician to defense mode, ending his turn.  
Hikari looked at Yami on the platform, seeing him like this broke her heart. The only way he beat the Blue-Eyes White Dragon last time is by using Exodia, and if this guy - whoever we really was - was using Kaiba's deck, then Hikari knew there were two more Blue-Eyes lurking in there. Her stomach dropped.  
'Defense mode?' Kaiba chuckled 'I expected more from you Yugi. You won't be able to get away with that for long, I activate Defense Paralysis' A collective gasp came from the onlookers 'While this is in play, you can't play any monsters in defense mode' he smiled as he watched Yugi's monsters force themselves into attack mode. He destroys Yami's Curse of Dragon, dropping his life points down to 1000.  
'This duel is far from over' he declared, setting a card 'I activate Magical Hats, hiding my Dark Magician from your Blue-Eyes' he nodded, clearly happy with himself. Hikari smiled up at him. _You can do it  
_ Mokuba was still fighting against his bindings, trying to call out to his brother. When he saw it wasn't working, he turned to Yami on the platform. 'Yugi!' he yelled, grabbing his attention 'You said my brother would come back, you lied!' he accused.  
'Mokuba' Hikari said gently 'This man is not your brother' she moved her gaze onto the henchman next to her who seemed unbothered by the exchange between the two 'Yugi will defeat him, and we can go defeat Pegasus together' she lifted both her hands in the rope and gave him an awkward pat on the back. Mokuba looked back at Hikari, for a moment, all she saw was a scared kid who just wanted his big brother back.  
'Really?' he sniffed  
Hikari nodded as she shifted her attention back to the duel.  
'I place one card face down underneath one of my Magical Hats' Yami said, staring Kaiba down.  
'It matters little what cards you use, Yugi' he said blackley 'Once my Blue-Eyes finds your Magician, this duel is over'  
'Don't be so sure' Yami smirked 'I still have a card under one of these hats, before you destroy my magician, you need to find him'  
'Enough!' Kaiba yelled across the field 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack the far hat with White Lightning!'  
The group held their breath and the dragon destroyed the hat, covering the area with smoke. When the dust had settled, it was clear that Kaiba hadn't destroyed Yami's magician, but activated a spell card.  
'Better luck next time Kaiba' Yami said 'You activated my Spellbinding Circle' Hikari watched as a blue ring flew from the destroyed hat and attached itself around the dragon's neck. She smiled as she saw the dragon's attack drop to 2300. Enough for Yugi's Dark Magician to destroy it, reducing Kaiba's lifepoints down to 500.  
K Kaiba growled as he saw his Dragon turn to dust, before he smiled. 'You may have destroyed one of my Blue-Eyes, but how do you think you'll do against this one?' he said, before summoning a second Blue-Eyes.  
'Oh no', Joey groaned as he saw the Dragon 'What's he gonna do now?'  
'He'll have a plan' Tristan said, his faith unwavered.  
Hikari silently agreed. _He's done it before, he'll do it again._

But she couldn't focus, she kept her attention on Mokuba to help him calm down slightly.  
'Shut up, both of you' the henchman growled, turning to Hikari yanking her restraints down causing her to fall.  
'Hikari!' Joey called over seeing her on the floor, he shifted his gaze to the henchman who was laughing at her. 'Hey, cut that out ya creep!' he raised his fist. Tristan held him back before he could step over.  
'I'm fine Joey' Hikari said quietly, picking herself up. Her body was protesting every movement.  
'What is this?!' a voice came from the platform, as Hikari looked up in time to see Kaiba's dragon disintegrate. 'You didn't attack my Dragon! It should have wiped you out' he yelled.  
'I don't know what happened..' Yami answered his question, staring at the empty space where Kaiba's dragon once stood. Then a thoughtful expression crossed his face 'Mokuba' he said slowly 'Your brother is alive..'  
Mokuba perked up, looking over at Yami. 'What?' he sniffed  
'I sensed him, his Blue-Eyes did also. That's why it stopped it's attack. He's alive' The spark of hope on Mokuba's eyes had flared into the real thing.  
'Really?' he perked up, looking at Yami.  
Yami nodded once before turning back to the imposter 'Now we know that Kaiba is alive, why don't you show us who you really are!' he said.  
'Alright little Yugi, be prepared as I show you my true form!' he yelled. The dark aura that had been surrounding him now completely enveloped him, a strong wind encircled the arena as the dark force continued to grow.  
When the darkness dissipated, a grotesque figure was standing in his place. A large man with a chalky face and small beady eyes was laughing loudly. He had a large round body and his lips were cracked a blood red colour as he stared at the shocked group. 'I may not be the real Seto Kaiba' he said, his voice rough and deep 'But I'm part of him. The evil part that you banished!' he extended a cloaked arm across to Yami 'Pegasus was kind enough to bring me back from the shadow realm to take you down'  
'Think again' Yami said 'You have only have one more Blue-Eyes White Dragon left, and an entire deck to in which to find it'  
'This will all be over soon' the imposter yelled drawing his next card narrowing his eyes.  
Hikari felt sick, _why does Pegasus want to take Yugi down so badly, it can't just be about Kaiba Corp. Yugi said that Pegasus had a millennium item. Could that be it?  
_ 'I summon Mystical Elf in attack mode and add the magic card Book of Secret Arts to raise her attack power!' Yami seemed more determined now, 'I also place one card face down. Your move' he offered.  
The grin that spread across the imposters face was spine chilling, Hikari knew what was about to happen. 'I summon my third and final Blue Eyes White Dragon' Yami gasped, unable to believe he'd managed to draw it. 'Now, attack his Mystical Elf and win this duel!'  
'Not so fast' Yami interrupted 'I activate Mirror Force, which bounces the attack right back' he smiled, much to Hikari's amusement, it looked smug.  
The man didn't seem bothered 'Sorry little Yugi, but my Negate Attack magic card, saving my Dragon'  
'Come on Yugi!' Tea called, altering Hikari's attention 'We know you can do this!'  
'Yeah, crush this creep!' Joey added.  
Tristan and Bakura nodded, looking up at their friend. Hikari just looked at Yami trying to keep her expression even, she didn't want to risk another strike from the suit. Mokuba gave her a look suggesting that he was thinking the same.  
'It's over.' Yami said finality drenched his voice 'I activate my magic card, Monster Reborn, to bring back a monster from either of our graveyards' The man widened his eyes 'And I choose to bring back Blue-Eyes White Dragon' the imposter gasped as he saw the monster he once controlled looking down upon him. 'But that's not all' Yami added 'I also activate my Mystical Elf's special effect, which allows me to transfer her attack points to my Dragon' the dragons attack grew, making it more powerful than its copy on the field. Yami dropped his voice, 'Consider this a message from the real Seto Kaiba. You lose!' the blast that came from the dragon covered the field in light, the shockwave blew a strong wind to the side of the field. 'Now, back to the shadow realm' Yami extended his hand, the eye of Horus appearing on his forehead again as he banished the man back to the shadows.  
'Yeah! Way to go Yugi!' Tristan called.  
'C'mon, let's grab Kaiba's deck and get outta here!' Joey was jubilant, celebrating this win.

It was only Tea that realised something was wrong. She stopped, not joining her friends at the side of the arena.  
'Tea?' Yami asked, looking at her 'What's wrong?' he started looking around to see what was troubling her, then he noticed it.  
'Hikari and Mokuba' Bakura said, his voice confused.  
'They're gone' Yami's stare fixated on the empty spot where Hikari and Mokuba were standing during the duel. 'That man, he took them' his voice was empty.  
'Don't worry Yug. We'll find her' Joey came to his side. 'I bet I know where he's taken her too' Joey's eyes went to the castle on the cliff.  
'I hope so' Yami answered his eyes on the castle.  
 _We'll get her back Pharaoh. I know we will._ Yugi thought toward him _Let's just focus on getting to the castle, then we'll be able to save Hikari and Grandpa._

Hikari awoke in a plush room somewhere she didn't recognise. _What just happened?_ Her head was beginning to throb with pain as she opened her eyes, she sat up as every muscle screamed in protest at the movement. Throwing her feet off of the end of the bed she felt a fluffy carpet under her toes. Then she noticed a note affixed to the door, written on the same paper she had seen elsewhere before. Her throat went dry as she read the words written in heavy black ink in the centre of the paper.

 _Pegasus will see you now._


	8. Chapter 8

Hikari's heart was beating hard as she fully grasped the situation she was in. _Pegasus._ She tried to cast her mind back to what brought her to be in this room, but all she could conjure up were hazy memories of Yami's duel.

 _What happened to me?_

Her eyes went to the window at the far end of the room, thick heavy curtains stood at the side and the sun fell through the window like a waterfall. Staring out of the glass her heart sank. _I'm in the castle._ Desperately she tried the latch, but of course, it was locked. Hikari tensed her jaw in frustration as she looked for another avenue of escape, the only option left was the door the note was attached to.  
Hikari took a deep breath before placing her hand on the doorknob, knowing whatever she faced on the other side, her friends would be with her. The door made a slight click as it opened and Hikari was greeted with a long ornate hallway with crystal light fittings and tall wooden doors dotted each side. Clutching the medal in her pocket, she headed toward the door at the end of the long corridor and came face to face with the goon from earlier. Hikari instinctively took a couple of steps back, her face guarded.  
'Right this way Miss Farrow' he opened the massive door for her 'Mr. Pegasus is expecting you' he resumed his guarding position, looking straight ahead without acknowledging her further. Hikari cocked her head but moved through the door carefully. The door made a loud thud behind her causing her to turn her head. When she looked back to the room she saw him.  
He looked just the same as she remembered when she was little. Long silver hair that hung straight down to his shoulders, the same red suit he wore when he welcomed the duelists. Hikari shuddered when she saw the sphinx-like grin that had plagued her nightmares. He sat at the end of a grand dining table that dominated the middle of the room. Hikari opened her mouth, but quickly closed it when she couldn't find the right words.

'Ah, Miss Farrow' Pegasus cooed 'So good to see you again my dear! Please, take a seat' he gestured to the other end of the table. Hikari tentatively sat down as she faced him. 'You've grown so much my dear!' he commented, lifting the glass of wine he was holding to his lips, surveying her. Hikari just stared at him, not wanting to converse with the man. Pegasus sighed, 'I suppose you're wondering why I've brought you here ahead of your friends' he said, his voice still light, and airy. Hikari's eyes narrowed.  
'Where are they?' she demanded.  
'All in good time my dear, I'm sure you have other more pressing questions for me' he hummed, sinking into his chair.  
Hikari's head started spinning, _what do I ask him?  
_ In reply to his statement, Hikari just took the medal out of her jacket and placed it on the table.  
'Ah of course!' he nodded and clapped his hands together as he spied the medal 'Your father is a wonderful man, he was very helpful with my business when I was in Cairo' the sly grin spread across his face again.  
'Where is he?' Hikari tried to keep her voice even 'Why did I find his service medal in the middle of the forest?'  
Pegasus nodded as he kept his eyes on Hikari. 'Ah yes, I was wondering when you'd find that' he chuckled 'Your father got a call before you came here didn't he?' he paused for a moment 'He's safe if that's what you're asking' he lifted his glass to his lips again.  
'That's not what I asked' Hikari countered, touching the metal with her fingers.  
'Well, it seemed that before the tournament started, I realised I needed a helping hand' he spoke slowly, judging Hikari's reaction. 'So I thought to myself, who would be the best person for the job, someone I know… Someone I trust'  
Hikari stayed silent, trying to make sense of Pegasus' words.  
'It was happy luck that your father was available for my needs. Even happier luck that he agreed, it would have taken a lot of work to bring him here without his consent'  
Hikari's throat went dry. 'Why?'  
'Because you hold something that is of great interest to me' he said simply  
Hikari shook her head _What could I have that you want? It's not me you want.  
_ 'You don't know?' his eyes sparkled 'Oooh, this is wonderful!' he giggled and rose from his seat, moving around the table. 'Doesn't it ever bother you, Miss Farrow, that your life doesn't make any sense?'  
Hikari frowned. 'I have no idea what you're talking about'  
Pegasus chuckled as he perched next to her, moving his face closer to hers. Hikari stayed in her seat but leaned away as much as the chair would allow. 'I'll give you the answers you're looking for for the questions you've never even thought of, but first I'd like you to do something for me'  
Hikari crossed her arms 'No way'  
Pegasus didn't seem put back by her words, in fact, he smiled. 'You don't get something for nothing, Miss Farrow'  
Hikari bit her lip, trying to figure out what Pegasus would want from her that he couldn't do himself. 'What is it?' her curiosity broke through.  
Pegasus clapped his hands together, smiling. 'I need you to defeat Yugi-boy in a duel, then and only then, will I give you the answers that you want'  
Hikari's eyes widened at the request, she couldn't help herself as she laughed. 'Are you out of your mind?'  
Pegasus' face turned the slightest bit angry and Hikari controlled herself looking him in the face. 'Why on earth would I do that?' she looked at him in disbelief.  
'Because I know where your father is' he said simply, smiling to himself. He had Hikari backed into a corner.  
'Why?' she asked carefully.  
'Don't worry about why just focus on what you'll get if you do as I ask. Or what will happen if you don't' Pegasus' voice dropped to a threatening tone.  
Hikari raised her jaw to Pegasus, challenging him. 'You don't scare me'  
Pegasus just chuckled as he headed for the door the other side of the room. 'Oh Miss Farrow' he paused turning back to look at her 'I don't believe you'  
With that, he left the room.

Hikari's head was reeling, she didn't know what to think of the interaction with Pegasus. _What does he know? More importantly, where is my father?  
_ When the conversation was done, she was escorted back to her room by the henchman, she immediately crawled back into the mountain of pillows that adorned the king size bed, thinking about what Pegasus had said.  
' _Because I know where your father is' he said simply.  
_ Hikari thought to herself, if Pegasus lured her father to the island, he must be here in the castle. The sudden realisation made her jump to her feet, running to the door. She put her hand on the doorknob, only for it to stay in place. She tried again, shaking harder. _He's locked it.  
_ Her breathing began to speed up, as she realised she was trapped in here. Completely at Pegasus' mercy. Without her friends. She was truly alone.  
 _Could Pegasus be right? What would beating Yugi in one duel really do?_ Her mind raced as she thought about her options. She never told Yugi that Pegasus had her father, he didn't know he needed saving from Pegasus' grasp.  
She sank to the floor, putting her head between her knees. _There's only one way out of this_ she thought, defeated _I have to do what Pegasus wants.  
_  
A knock on her door brought Hikari out of her head, she tentatively moved toward the door opening it slightly. Face to face with the same man she was now so familiar with he nodded before telling her that the semi-finals were about to begin. Hikari grabbed her jacket and headed out the door. The henchman escorted Hikari to a large room that contained two balconies, one higher than the other on each side of the room. In the middle was a large dueling arena with a short walkway from either hallway to get to it. Hikari glanced down, below the walkways a large pit which seemed to have no bottom. Hikari gulped.  
'Hikari!' Joey called from the other end of the platform, he ran to the edge and stopped before the edge of the pit. 'Are you alright?!'  
'Joey! Yugi! Tea! Tristan! Bakura!' she called each one of them in turn 'I'm so happy to see you guys' she smiled widely at them.  
'Are you okay?' Tea repeated Joey's question 'What happened to you?'  
Hikari opened her mouth to explain when Pegasus suddenly appeared on the lower balcony. 'Welcome finalists!' his voice commanded the space 'I'm so glad you're all here!' the sphinx's grin spread across his face again. 'Now for the fun part!' he cooed down at the group, his eyes rested on Hikari for a moment. 'This evening, I personally invite you all to a grand feast in the main dining room, there we will determine who will face each other for a chance at the grand prize!' he spread his arms out gesturing grandly at the arena. 'Thank you for your time, I'll see you all this evening!' and with that, he left as quickly as he had arrived. Before Hikari had a chance to talk to her friends again, she was ushered down the hallway from when she arrived.  
'Move it' a gruff voice pushed her back as he hurried her down the corridor, back into her room. Her bedroom door slammed behind her, leaving her alone. Again.

Hikari sat on the edge of her bed, her deck in her hands. Shuffling through the cards, she kept thinking about Pegasus' proposal. _I have to. It's the only way to save my father. I just wish I could talk to him, he'd know what to do._ Tears caught in her throat as her thoughts flew around her head. _I'll find you, papa._ She studied her Guardian of Alexandria in her hand for a moment before shuffling it back into her deck. Placing it in her deck holder, she glanced at the clock. _Almost time for dinner._ Her stomach twisted as she wondered if Pegasus would be at the feast. Hikari didn't know which was worse, Pegasus sat with them at dinner or away from the table, watching every move they make. Either way, it wasn't safe to talk to Yugi. She sighed gently before walking over to the heavy gold mirror attached to the far wall.  
Her hair was a mess, two days of being in the wilderness hadn't helped. She tried to run her fingers through the knotted black tendrils but quickly gave up. Her black skinny jeans had a couple of rips in them but otherwise were fine. The same couldn't be said for her t-shirt, _who thought it would be a good idea to wear white?_ She scoffed to herself as she headed to the bathroom to take a shower. _This guy doesn't do anything halfway_ she said to herself. The bathroom was almost as big as the massive bedroom, it offered a large double shower and the deepest bath she'd ever seen. A large black marble sink sat on the wall with a large mirror hanging on the wall above it. Hikari stepped into the shower, letting the warm water wash over her trying to relax after the past few days. It didn't work.  
When she stepped out of the shower she dried herself off with one of the many fluffy towels available and walked back into the bedroom. She noted there was a huge chest of drawers next to the mirror, after a quick search she unearthed a pair of faded blue jeans and a forest green shirt. She shuddered when she realised Pegasus must have told his henchman to put them there for her. She tried not to think about Pegasus' ever-present eye as she dressed.

A knock on her door alerted her that it was time for finalists dinner, she followed the henchman again as he led her back to the dining room. The hairs on her neck stood as she recalled her last visit to the room.  
'Hikari!' Tea called, relieved to see her.  
'Tea!' Hikari called back, running over to hug her friend. 'It's so good to see you' she said as she held her tighter.  
'Good to see you Hikari!' Tristan gave her a pat on the head.  
'Will everyone please be seated' a voice commanded the group. Hikari looked around the table at her friends, she kept her surprise to a minimum when she saw Mai Valentine sat at the table. _Guess she made it to the finals too.  
_ Food was served, Hikari tried to suppress her laughter as Tristan, Joey and Bakura stuffed their faces full of food. Yugi and Tea caught Hikari up on what she missed while she was in the castle, Hikari could tell by their occasional glances to the henchman that surrounded the room that it would be wise to not mention their disdain for their host while they were there. The conversation kept flowing with only safe subjects being mentioned. But the atmosphere was tense, the laughter just a little too forced and the smiles just a small bit too wide.  
'Attention Duelists' a voice came from the side of the table, everyone looked round to the suit. 'We will now give you the order of the duels for the semi-finals' he said, gesturing to a screen behind him. 'The order is as follows, the first duel Joey Wheeler and Hikari Farrow and the second will be will be Yugi Muto and Mai Valentine. Remember you must have one of these two entry cards to participate in the finals' he held up the two cards that were given with the invitations.  
Joey grinned 'Aw yeah! You better watch out Hikari, I've gotten a lot better since our first duel' but Hikari couldn't focus. _Why didn't Pegasus put me against Yugi if he wanted me to win against him?_ 'Uh, yeah. I'm looking forward to it Joey' she said quickly avoiding his eyes.  
Yugi's stare was quizzical as he looked at Hikari. He was about to ask her what was wrong, but he noticed the henchman and thought better of it.

When dinner was over, the group left the dining room and walked back to the corridor where the duelists were staying ahead of the finals. Tea and Hikari were talking in low voices about their experiences over the last couple of days. She didn't tell Tea about her meeting with Pegasus, or her father. Hikari still wasn't sure it was safe inside the walls of the castle, and with Pegasus' omnipresent security detail she'd bet money that they could hear her right now.  
'Aw man!' Joey groaned as he stopped in the middle of the corridor 'I just realised I don't have the cards to duel tomorrow!'  
Tea gasped 'That's right, you're only on the island because Yugi gave you one of his star chips!'  
'What are you gonna do Joey?' Tristan asked the wheels in his head already turning.  
Hikari looked at Joey sympathetically, thinking she should just give him her card. She was never here for the prize money anyway, but Yugi beat her to it, holding the Hand of the King out to him. 'Here, Joey' he said, looking up at his friend, purple eyes twinkling.  
'Wha-?' Joey looked surprised 'Nah Yug, I can't take that from you' he turned away 'I'll think of something else'  
'Take it Joey' he smiled 'Consider it an early birthday present. Besides, I was never here for the prize money, all I wanted to do was free my grandpa, you'll need this if you want to pay for your sister's operation'  
Tears came to Joey's eyes as he took the card from Yugi 'Thanks Yug' he sniffed.  
'You guys better get some rest' Bakura said 'You guys have a big day tomorrow'  
'Bakura's right guys' Tristan nodded 'We'll see you tomorrow'  
'Goodnight!' Joey smiled at his friends 'Better prepare yourself Hikari, there's no way I'm goin' easy on ya!' he chuckled, heading into his room.

One by one the group left the corridor until Yugi and Hikari were stood there alone.  
'Are you alright?' he lowered his voice as he looked around. 'We were really worried about you after you disappeared'  
Hikari looked over her shoulder, 'Not here' she murmured as she motioned Yugi into her room.  
'What's going on?' he demanded as he entered her room. Hikari sighed gravely.  
'I need to tell you something, but it's a long story'

Hikari's explanation took a long time, she covered everything from Pegasus' affiliation with her father in Cairo, her finding his service medal in the forest and the thinly veiled threats that he made if she didn't do what he wanted. Yugi sat quietly, not interrupting unless it was to clarify details. By the time she was done Hikari felt exhausted as she collapsed onto the floor by the bed, placing her head in her hands.  
'I don't know what to do Yugi' she whispered, 'No matter what I pick, someone is going to get hurt. But I have no choice'.  
 _Yugi, do you mind if I speak to her?_ Yami asked. He'd been watching the entire exchange between them, slightly satisfied that puzzle pieces were falling into place, but frustrated that it only left him with more questions. But all he wanted to do now, was comfort the girl who had been so kind to him all this time.  
 _I think that's a good idea_ Yugi answered the spirit in his head as he let Yami take over.  
When Hikari looked up, Yami was standing in front of her. She hung her head again. 'Yami... I-' she stopped, tears threatening her eyes again.  
'Shh,' he hushed her as he sat on the floor beside her. 'You were scared, it's okay. You were only doing what you thought was best to protect your father'  
'I just.. I just..' that was it. Hikari started sobbing into Yami's chest as he gently stroked her hair. They stayed like this for a while, Yami just held her close to him while she cried.  
'Hikari' his voice steady, when she stopped crying 'We will defeat Pegasus together, and when we do we'll get back Yugi's grandpa and your father. I promise'  
Hikari raised her head to look at him, his purple eyes blazed as he stared back to the shimmering green, her breath caught for a moment as her heart started to beat faster. 'Thank you' she offered a meek smile at him, silently cursing herself for the blush she could feel spreading across her face. Yami just smiled back.  
'Will you be okay tonight?' he asked he stood offering his hand to Hikari to help her stand. She took it and got to her feet, but they didn't let go.  
'I'll be okay, I think I just need to rest' she answered him looking down as she felt his fingers graze along her knuckles.  
'You know where we'll be' he said quietly as they headed to the door.  
'Thank you, Yami' Hikari said softly 'For everything' she added. She gave his hand a small squeeze before letting it go and closing the door behind him.

Sleep didn't come easily to Hikari that night, all she could think about was where Pegasus was keeping her father and if he was okay. She tossed and turned through the night, giving up the notion of sleep when she saw the first rays of light peek through the gaps in the curtain. She dragged herself out of the plush bed and dressed in the same outfit she wore to dinner the previous evening. She went over to the bedside table and picked up her deck laying there, holding it to her heart for a moment.  
'Today's the day' she said to herself. 'No matter what happens, you'll have your friends behind you' Yami appeared in her mind as she closed her eyes, his promise coming back to her.

'Together' she whispered to herself and headed out of the door for her first duel of the semi-finals.


	9. Chapter 9

Hikari stepped into the dining room where breakfast was being served. The atmosphere was strangely tense as she grabbed her plate and sat down. Yugi gave her a tight smile as she sat down but said nothing. Tea, Tristan, and Bakura were acting strange too, she raised an eyebrow at Tea as she joined them, but she just shook her head slightly and glanced behind her at the suits guarding the door. Hikari nodded, understanding that she couldn't talk about it and turned back to her breakfast.  
The door opened loudly as Joey bounded into the room, his energy high. 'Who's ready for the best duel ever?' he called 'Cause yours truly is about to give ya a show!' he pointed at himself as he stood at the end of the table. 'Are ya ready for me to wipe the floor with ya, Hikari?' he grinned at her.  
Hikari just smiled at him 'Sure, Joey' she said quietly. Her eyes flashed to Yugi next to her, who gave her a worried look. After her explanation yesterday, Yugi was even more worried about Hikari than before. Pegasus was trying to manipulate her into doing his bidding, otherwise, he'll hurt her father.  
'When do you think that lucky streak will run out Joey?' Mai laughed gently. Tea had explained how Mai had helped them after she was taken to the castle, in her words 'She's still annoying, but a little less than before' which had Hikari in fits of laughter.  
Joey seemed unfazed by Hikari's less than enthusiastic answer and ignored Mai's comment, 'What? Scared already?' he laughed as he filled his plate with food from the buffet tables. The atmosphere was a little more relaxed after Joey's entrance, the silence was no longer an issue as Tristan and Joey made enough conversation for the rest of the group. Hikari stayed quiet, just pushing her food around her plate.  
'Not hungry?' Tea asked as she noticed Hikari's vacant expression.  
'Not really' Hikari sighed as she put her fork down 'Guess I'm just nervous about the semi-finals' she gave Tea a reassuring smile.  
She giggled as she looked at Joey who was on his second plate. 'I'm sure you'll be fine' she gave Hikari a wink, Hikari couldn't help a small giggle of her own.  
'Eh?' Joey turned his head 'What's that supposed to mean?' as he heard the comment, his hand halfway up to his face with another fork full of eggs.  
'Nothing, Joey' she laughed as she turned back to her food.  
Hikari gave up on the idea of food and grabbed a cup of coffee from one of the tables, wrapping her fingers around the hot mug relaxed her slightly.  
'I'll never know why you drink that stuff' Yugi made a face as she drank from the mug.  
'Not my fault you have a child's palate' she laughed.  
'I'd take my chocolate milk over that stuff any day' he joked back. Hikari smiled back as she felt the knots in her stomach subside. It was so easy to be relaxed around Yugi.

'Attention Duelists' one of Pegasus' security detail came to the head of the table when the group had cleared their plates 'The first duel of the semi finals between Hikari Farrow and Joey Wheeler will begin in fifteen minutes. Please make your way to the arena'  
Hikari felt her stomach drop again as everyone stood up to head to the arena. Yugi noticed Hikari still sat down, staring off into the distance.  
'Hikari' Yugi said quietly 'Come on, it's time to go' he pulled her arm gently, trying to get her to her feet.  
Hikari turned to face him, biting her lip. She wasn't ready for this.  
'I'm coming' she said standing up 'I just need to go back to my room for a moment' she murmured and quickly headed to the door.  
'Yug, is she ok?' she heard Joey ask in a low voice before the door clicked behind her.  
Hikari went back into her room, quickly running to the bathroom and splashing her face with water. She gripped the side of the sink, turning her knuckles white. _It's okay. Just breathe,_ she chanted to herself. Walking back into the main room she spied a note on the mirror, her heart dropped up as she walked over to it. The same heavy paper that she had come to know so well, another single lined message stood out, written in black ink.  
 _I trust you'll keep your side of the deal.  
_ She studied the note for a moment, crumpling the side of the paper with her grip. _What am I gonna do?_ Her mind started spinning as she held onto the drawers to keep herself up. _I have no choice. I have to win._ She removed her deck from the holder on her hip, held it to her lips for a moment before heading back to the arena.

Hikari felt a huge sense of unease as she marched down the long corridor toward the light at the end of the tunnel. She came to the short walkway leading to the platform, in front of her, the arena loomed over her like a bad dream. She spied Joey at the other end, his eyes burned with a passion she'd never seen before, his face set in a serious expression. Hikari turned her head to see Pegasus sitting on the lower balcony she saw earlier, he was sitting on a large golden throne with a glass of wine in his hand. His long silver hair hung straight over his shoulders, and the same smile was directed over at her. Hikari shuddered and turned her eyes away to the other direction, the higher balcony the other side of the room held her friends, leaning over the railing looking down at the arena.  
Hikari placed her deck on a small velvet box was held out to her, the henchman placed it on a tray that transported it over to Joey and vice versa.  
As she started to shuffle Joey's deck, he looked over to her. 'Hey, Hikari' he called 'Just lettin ya know, I don't plan on going easy on ya' he winked and smiled. Hikari took a deep breath, she needed to relax, being worked up won't help her win the duel. _Being this uptight might make Joey think there's something wrong too_ she thought as she shuffled.  
She offered Joey a smile in return 'Good. That'll make it more satisfying when I win' she laughed.  
Joey's chuckle echoed off the walls. 'If you say so'  
She placed Joey's deck back on the tray, and retrieved her own.  
Pegasus stood up from his throne 'Ladies and Gentleman, the first duel of the semi-finals is about to begin. Good luck' he raised his glass and sat back down.  
'You ready?' Joey asked, picking up his cards.  
'As I'll ever be' she answered, doing the same.  
'Let's duel' they said together.

Hikari drew her first card, happy with the result. She had her Eye of the Mystic, but decided not to play it right away, she knew Joey was accustomed to that move.  
'I play Shroud of the Keeper [1250/1000] in attack mode!' her card materialised before her. 'I'll also place two cards face down and end my turn' she squared her jaw, knowing she was prepared for whatever Joey threw at her.  
'Alright, here goes. I play Armored Lizard in attack mode [1500/1200] now, attack her monster directly!'  
Hikari smiled, Joey was always so predictable 'You activated my trap card, Lightning Vortex! Now all I have to do is discard one card from my hand, and all monsters on your side of the field are destroyed' she watched as Joey's monster shattered. 'Better luck next time'  
Joey growled quietly 'I end my turn'  
Hikari picked up her next card 'I play Keeper of Alexandria in attack mode! [1600/1000] Since you have no monsters on the field, I can't attack, so I end my turn'  
'Don't get smug' he laughed 'This duel only just started' he picked up a card 'I play Gilitia The Dark Knight in attack mode! [1850/1500]' Joey narrowed his eyes at Hikari's next face down card, weighing up the risk in his head. 'Gilitia, attack her Shroud of the Keeper!' Hikari grit her teeth, he didn't fall for her bluff. She held her hand up as her monster was destroyed, her life points dropped to 1400. 'That's all for now'  
Hikari closed her eyes _I'm sorry Joey, this duel is too important to lose._ She drew her next card, _Yes!  
_ 'I play Guardian of Alexandria in attack mode! [2800/2500] now, attack his Knight' she watched as her Guardian fluttered her wings, raising her from the floor. The gold filigree tattoos shone against her porcelain skin, blasting the white light from her palms, engulfing Joey's monster. His life points dropped to 950 in a single blast.  
'Sorry Joey, looks like I'm one turn away from winning this duel' she smiled. Joey looked flustered, he studied his hand for a moment and realised he had nothing that could stand up to her Guardian.  
He sighed 'I place one monster face down in defense mode, and end my turn'  
Hikari took out Joey's face down monsters one by one. _Come on, Joey._ Her thoughts were impatient.  
'You know, Hikari' Joey said 'When I first started dueling, it was great when you were there for me. Throughout Duelist Kingdom, you were there supportin' me when I was up against my toughest challenges' His voice grew soft 'You were always so patient and kind' Hikari cocked her head, unsure of where he was going with this. 'I just wanted to say, that no matter how this turns out, we'll still be a team. Together.' he gave her a knowing smile.  
Hikari's eyes widened as she caught Joey's drift. _Did Yugi tell Joey about her father? Was this his way of saying that everything will be okay?_ Her eyes went to the balcony expecting to see Yugi there, but her gaze rested on Yami. He gave her a nod.  
'Thanks, Joey' she said quietly, she glanced at Pegasus for a moment who seemed to not notice the exchange between them.

But the nice moment was short lived as Joey's next words send a chill down Hikari's spine. 'I summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon' she turned her head back to see the large dragon before her [2400/2000] 'Now I activate Dragon Nails which raises my Dragon's attack points by 600! [3000/2000]' Hikari took half a step back as she realised what that meant. 'Now, Red-Eyes, wipe out her Guardian!'  
'Reveal Trap Card, Ordeal of the Traveller!' Hikari tried to keep her voice even, Joey had been seriously lucky throughout the tournament, _that has to run out some time, right?_ 'Now, pick a card in my hand and guess if it's a magic, trap or monster card. If you get it right, my monster is destroyed, if you get it wrong, yours is' she held the cards in her hands forward 'Feeling lucky, Joey?'  
Joey was taken back for a moment as he studied the back of Hikari's cards so intensely it was like he could see through them. He confidently pointed to the card in the middle.  
'It's a magic card'  
Hikari sucked the air through her teeth as she turned Ancient Texts around. He was right.  
Joey cheered slightly as his attack completed, wiping Hikari's guardian off of the field. Her life points went down to 1200. Hikari stood in shock for a moment, her Guardian was her strongest monster, and she had nothing left in her deck that could stand up to Joey's Red-Eyes. She inadvertently turned her head toward Pegasus, whose expression was slightly amused. She could almost hear the threats again.  
 _I won't let you down papa.  
_ 'I place one monster face down in defense mode and switch my Keeper of Alexandria from attack to defense mode' she needed to think about a strategy, and fast. The next turn her Keeper was destroyed. Hikari shook her head, and passed on her turn. _C'mon Joey, attack my face down card.  
_ Her wish came true. 'Sorry Joey, you just activated my Eye of the Mystic's special effect, meaning I can transfer a trap card from my deck to my hand'  
Joey locked his jaw, kicking himself for falling for the same move he'd been victim to before. Hikari looked at her hand _Ancient Texts, Judgement of Anubis, Pharaoh's Servant and Guardian Sphinx._ The wheels in her head turning as she tried to figure out a strategy.  
'I place one card face down and summon Guardian Sphinx in defense mode [1700/2400]' Hikari grit her teeth, _this has to work.  
_ Joey narrowed his eyes, 'Alright, first I'll place one card face down, then I'll attack your Sphinx with my Red-Eyes' Joey called his attack as Hikari smiled to herself. _Perfect.  
_ 'I activate Judgement of Anubis! Sorry Joey, this duel is over' she smiled, but when she looked up, Joey's Red-Eyes was still on the field, his life points still at 950. 'What happened?' she demanded. 'You should have lost the duel!'  
'I was prepared for that pesky trap card this time, so I activated Mystical Space Typhoon. It destroys one trap card on the field. Sorry, Hikari, I'm not going down easy' Joey said, slightly relieved.  
Hikari placed both her hands on the grid in front of her. She had no monsters on the field, and Joey's Red-Eyes was still a threat.  
 _Hikari._ Yami's voice came into her head. She looked up at him on the balcony, everyone was looking down at the field with conflicted expressions, not knowing who to cheer for. He stared back, a smooth expression on his face, but she got the feeling he was trying to tell her something. She furrowed her eyebrows as she turned back to her hand, H _eart of the Cards_ she thought. Breathing in deeply, she picked up her next card. _Yes!  
_ 'I activate Monster Reborn, to bring back my Guardian of Alexandria [2800/2400] and I activate Ancient Texts to increase her attack power by 500 points [3300/2400]. Which means your Dragon is toast' she smiled as Joey's Dragon was reduced to dust. His life points dropped to 650. Joey grit his teeth, picking up his card.  
Suddenly, Joey was smiling. Hikari narrowed her eyes.  
'Hey guys, what does Joey look so happy about?' Tristan asked, altering Hikari to their presence. She'd been so focused on the duel she had forgotten they were still standing there.  
'What?' she asked curiously.  
Joey just chuckled. 'I play Grave Robber! This allows me to take one card from your graveyard' Hikari exhaled forcefully, 'And I choose your Monster Reborn to bring back my Red-Eyes in attack mode' his monster raised from the floor, roaring at Hikari threateningly. 'That's not all, I also summon CopyCat' a strange looking monster holding a small hand mirror to its face appeared next to the huge dragon. Hikari turned her head slightly, she didn't know that Joey had that card in his deck. 'And I'll use it to take the effect of your Ancient Texts, but I'll use it to increase my Red-Eyes' defense points!' [2400/2500]  
Hikari cocked her head to the side, even with his Red-Eyes defense points up, she'd still be able to destroy it. _Why the defense points?  
_ Then she remembered a card that Joey showed her during the boat ride over. She gasped as she realised where he was going.  
'I activate Shield and Sword, which switches the attack and defense points of every monster on the field' Joey flashed a smile as Hikari's eyes widened, realising what this meant. 'Now, Red-Eyes, take out her Guardian!'  
Hikari watched in disbelief as her monster disintegrated in front of her. Her life points dropping down to 1100.  
'Great move Joey!' Tristan called down.  
'Come on Hikari!' Tea added, trying to even up the cheering, in any other situation she might have laughed.  
Hikari was back to square one, facing Joey's Red-Eyes without hope. She drew her next card. _The Sarcophagus!_ Her eyes went to Yami briefly out of habit, as they did every time she thought about these cards. Her mind drifted for a moment as she remembered Yami helping her assemble her deck for the tournament.  
'Alright Joey, playtime is over' her voice became determined as she refocused herself, so much so that Pegasus placed his wine glass down as he looked at Hikari with interest. 'You have three turns left'  
Joey cocked an eyebrow 'Oh yeah? How'd you figure that?'  
Hikari just smiled 'I activate The First Sarcophagus magic card' She realised Joey had never seen her play this set before, so she took the liberty of explaining it as the stone coffin raised from the ground. 'As long as this card is on the field, I can summon the second and third sarcophagus from my deck in my next two turns' she took a small pause. 'Then, once all three of them are on the field, I can summon a powerful monster that you've never seen before' she couldn't help but smile to herself.  
 _I'll find you soon, papa.  
_ 'I place Pharaoh's Servant in defense mode, and end my turn' Hikari did a mental tally, there were currently five monsters in her graveyard, she'd need more if she was going to stand up to Joey's Red-Eyes by the time all three Sarcophagi were on the field.  
Joey fell right into her trap, destroying her next defensive cards with his Red-Eyes, not managing to remove her magic cards from the field.  
'Alright Joey, time for the Third Sarcophagus to make an appearance' she said as the third stone coffin rose from the floor, creating the trio. 'Now I summon The Spirit of the Pharaoh in attack mode! [2500/2000]' A tall olive skinned human-like creature stepped outside of the stone casing, an intricate headdress adorned his face. 'And thanks to my monsters special ability, it gains 100 attack points for every monster in my graveyard, and I count seven [3200/2000]' Joey looked at his hand, trying to figure out a way to stop the incoming attack.  
Hikari looked at the field, the Pharaoh in front of her made her stop as she took it in. _Yami._

 _No. No, no, no._ Hikari's thoughts brought her to a standstill. _You're doing this for all the wrong reasons. You're letting Pegasus manipulate you. He's trying to pit you against your friends. That's why he made you duel Joey first. He planned it from the beginning._ Hikari grabbed the side of the platform to hold her steady as she made the realisation.  
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yami step forward with a curious look on his face, his eyes never left her.  
Hikari stayed frozen, looking at the monster.  
'Why isn't she attacking?' Bakura whispered to Tristan as everyone fixed their stare on her frozen form, they leaned a little further over the barrier trying to see if there was a trigger to make her stop so suddenly. Yami remained slightly further back, but his eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what was happening.  
 _What's going on?_ Yugi asked as he stared at the standstill  
 _I think she's realised something_ Yami answered cryptically, not expanding on it.  
'I don't know' Tea answered, her voice filled with a mixture of confusion and concern. She bought her hands together as she looked at her best friend.  
'Hikari!' Joey called from the other side of the arena, making her head snap up. 'Come on, attack me. This was a great duel, one of the toughest I've ever had. You deserve to win' he smiled warmly as he braced himself for the loss.  
But Hikari stayed frozen, unable to call an attack she moved her eyes back to the Pharaoh in front of her, for a moment she swore he looked back at her with the same purple eyes she had lost herself in so many times. _This isn't what I want._ Her mind was spinning again as she recalled last night.  
' _Hikari. We'll defeat Pegasus together. I promise.'_ Yamis words came back to her as she grappled with her mind. Her eyes went to Pegasus, who was now standing up an intense expression affixed to his face, the grip on his wine glass tightened. _No. I'm not going to be controlled by you, Pegasus._ Hikari narrowed her eyes at him, letting go of the fear that he had over her. _You forgot one important thing_ she thought, her frozen face thawed as she gave him a small smile _my friends are stronger than you.  
_ Carefully and deliberately without moving her eyes from Pegasus, she raised her hand and placed it over her deck.

'I surrender, Joey. You win'


	10. Chapter 10

_What have I done?_

Hikari's thoughts were too scattered. She refocused her attention to her hand, placed over her deck as the holograms on the field faded. She had just forfeited the duel against Joey. She moved her eyes over to the blond on the platform across from her, who was staring at her with a shocked expression on his face.  
'Why did Hikari do that guys?' Tristan asked, his voice low 'She could have won the duel'  
Hikari's eyes flitted to Yami, his arms crossed over his chest his expression was strangely soft. _He probably knew what I was going to do before I did_ she thought to herself.  
'Hikari Farrow has surrendered, Joey Wheeler is the winner!' the suit standing next to Pegasus called out. Hikari looked over to the lower balcony in time to see Pegasus' wine glass shatter in his hand, his expression one of fury. She stared him down for a moment, and without another word, she picked up her deck and walked away from the arena leaving nothing but shocked whispers behind her.

Hikari re-entered her room, surprised there was no new note to find. She was in a state of limbo, unable to think clearly about her actions. Pushing her hands into her jacket her fingers found her fathers medal, and everything came rushing back.  
 _Papa.  
_ Hikari froze, she had just given up everything. _What's going to happen to him?_ Hikari stayed frozen in place as her mind conjured up images of her father tortured, dead or worse as she wondered about the consequences of her actions. Hikari stayed standing in the middle of the room, her ears ringing. She clenched her hands into fists, digging her nails into her palms. Her lips parted slightly as every fibre of her being was telling her to scream, but no noise escaped her throat. _What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?_ Hikari fell to her knees, unable to see clearly anymore. She didn't have the strength to stay on her feet.

Hikari had no idea how long she stayed on the floor, she wasn't aware of time passing anymore her eyes focused on a point a million miles away. All she could think about was her father, what Pegasus was going to do to him now she had welched on their agreement. Hikari heard a knock on her door, unable to bring herself to stand or speak she let it go. Another knock and a voice. 'Hikari! Open up!' a flash of recognition went through her head, it was Joey. 'Come on Hikari!' she dug her nails harder into her skin. A sick part of her mind wanted to blame Joey for what happened, but she refused to let it. _This isn't his fault  
_ The door opened quietly and shut with a click. She was only half aware of Joey coming over to her, his voice frantic when he saw her in this state trying to break her out of her empty expression. Hikari was only vaguely aware when he lifted her hand into his own trying to pry her fingers loose 'C'mon Hikari, we need to get you cleaned up' his voice was gentle. _Cleaned up?_ Her eyes flashed to her hand which was covered in bright red blood from where she had broken the skin. Reflexively she un-clenched her fists feeling the relief of relaxing her hands. Joey disappeared for a moment and returned with a cloth and a bowl of warm water. Hikari flinched slightly as he cleaned her wounds but stayed quiet. She let her eyes settle on his face instead. It wasn't a Joey she was used to seeing, his eyes were focused as he cleaned the blood from her palms, but the rest of his face was filled with concern, he was quiet as he completed his task as his blond hair fell over his face slightly. He looked up when he was done as caught Hikari's bright green eyes, Hikari looked into his muddy chocolate eyes searching for a sign that everything would be okay, that she made the right decision forfeiting the duel. She couldn't find it.  
Joey didn't say anything, he just sat next to Hikari for a while until she felt ready to speak again.  
She didn't know how much time had passed but eventually sound came from her lips as she formed words. 'Did I make the right choice, Joey?' she asked, her voice desperate.  
Joey didn't try to pretend to know what would happen now that she surrendered the duel 'I don't know, Hikari' then his voice grew stronger 'But I do know, that no matter what happens we'll all be here for you. We'll take down Pegasus as a team and we _will_ find your dad'  
 _So Yugi did tell him_ she thought.  
Joey grabbed Hikari's hand and gave it a small squeeze. 'I promise, everything will be okay. I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but it will be'  
Hikari just kept staring at him, not saying anything. Joey's reassurance meant a great deal, but she wasn't sure if she could believe him.  
'We need to get back, Yugi is dueling Mai and he needs you there' his voice low as he glanced to the door. Those words broke Hikari out of her stupor as her head snapped up. Joey's smile was wide as he held out his hand to help her up. Hikari grabbed it pulling herself to her feet. Then Joey pulled Hikari in for a hug, she returned it gladly burying her face into the creases of his jacket for a moment, before heading for the door. 'By the way' he added, his eyes twinkling 'Next time we duel, I'll win without you giving in' he joked.  
Hikari felt herself smile 'In your dreams, Wheeler'  
'There's the Hikari I know and love' Joey laughed as they headed down the corridor to Yugi's duel.

Hikari and Joey broke into a jog as they navigated the maze of corridors toward the arena. They turned the corner in time to see Yugi's Dark Magician be destroyed by Mai's monsters, his life points at 300. Hikari glanced over at the arena, Mai's Harpie Ladies were dominating the field. She had the trap card Mirror Wall in play which cuts Yugi's monsters attack in half.  
'That's not all!' she declared as she put down a new card 'I activate Harpie's Feather Duster which destroys all magic and trap cards on the field' Yugi's Mirror Force briefly showed itself before it was destroyed. _Why isn't Yami dueling?  
_ Hikari's stomach dropped as she took in the field. 'Yugi!' she called as she went up to the railing. His head turned to look up at her, his face slightly relieved to see her. Hikari couldn't find the words, she just looked at Yugi trying not let her worry show.  
'You know Yugi' Mai said from the opposite platform, recapturing his attention 'When I lost against Joey, I realised something. The reason I used that perfume trick was because I was afraid of losing, afraid to trust myself' she paused for a moment as she thought back 'Then I realised, you can learn more from a defeat than a victory' she flashed him a smile. _What's she talking about?  
_ Yugi cocked his head, considering Mai's words. Hikari gasped as she realised what she was talking about. She remembered that Tea told her that Yugi lost a duel against Kaiba before coming to the castle, Kaiba took advantage by standing on the ledge making Yugi choose between the possibility of killing him with the shockwave of his attack or forcing him to admit defeat. Hikari realised that Yugi and Yami must be in conflict with each other, which is why Yugi is dueling instead. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she heard Yugi mumble something to himself, the next words to come from him were in the deep baritone voice she had grown to know so well 'This duel is not over yet Mai'. Butterflies appeared in Hikari's stomach as she heard him.  
The group cheered at Yugi's sudden determination as he got back into the rhythm. Yami drew a card as his purple eyes blazed. 'I activate Brain Control! This allows me to take control of a monster on your side of the field and I choose your Harpie's Pet Dragon!' Hikari watched as the card extend long grotesque arms and grabbed Mai's dragon bringing it to his side of the field. 'That's not all, I also place one card face down and summon Catapult Turtle in attack mode [1000/2000] now I activate my monsters special effect, tributing your Dragon to destroy your Mirror Wall trap card!' Yami said, his voice strong and unwavering. The Dragon beat its mighty wings as it placed itself on Yami's monster, without any warning it flew forward launching itself at Mai's trap card, shattering the barrier into thousands of tiny pieces.  
'Yeah! Way to go Yugi!' Tea cheered, smiling widely as Mai's life points dropped down to 850.  
'That all you got?' Mai growled as she drew her card, her eyes narrowing slightly. 'I activate Elegant Egotist turning one Harpie Lady into Harpie Lady Sisters! [2450/2100] but I won't fall for that trap card you have there' she smiled, thinking she beat Yugi at his own game.  
Yami let out a deep chuckle 'It wasn't a trap card Mai' he continued to laugh 'I activate Monster Recovery, which returns my Catapult Turtle to my hand and allows me to draw an entirely new hand' he smiled as he picked up five new cards. 'I summon Mystical Elf in defense mode and end my turn'  
Hikari couldn't help but flash Yami a grin as he looked up to the balcony, he gave her a wink in return. She looked away as a blush spread across her face.  
Mai, oblivious to the exchange between them activated Monster Reborn to return her Harpie's Pet Dragon to the field, destroying Yami's monster.  
During the next turn, Yami activated Swords of Revealing Light, stopping Mai attacking for three turns, she growled slightly. 'I summon Kuriboh in attack mode!' [300/200] a small brown fuzzy ball appeared on Yami's side of the field. Mai's face turned deadpan as she looked at it before she laughed. 'What's that thing supposed to do?' she asked between her laughter. Hikari couldn't be sure, but it looked like Kuriboh was angry with her for her words.  
'I play Monster Reborn to bring back Gaia The Fierce Knight! [2300/2100]' he nodded back to Mai who passed her turn again, unable to attack. Yami did the same as he picked up his next card.  
Hikari's stomach was flipping inside and out, she couldn't take the suspense. With Mai unable to attack and Yami not having a monster strong enough to destroy anything on her side of the field, it was only a matter of time until the stalemate was broken.  
'I activate Black Luster Ritual!' Yami called, placing the card down. _No way.  
_ 'What? That's not possible!' Hikari gasped as she watched the card take effect.  
'Huh? Why? What's so special about it?' Tristan asked as he saw her reaction.  
'It's one of the most powerful cards in the entire game' Joey answered for her as he fixed his stare on the duel below.  
'Now, Black Luster Soldier [3000/2500] attack her Pet Dragon!' Hikari watched in awe as his monster destroyed Mai's dragon in a single swipe of his blade, her life points dropped to 750. Hikari felt the hope rise in her chest, _he might actually do it!  
_ Then something happened that she wasn't prepared for. Nobody was prepared for. Mai looked over the field for a moment before placing her hand over her deck. 'I surrender, Yugi' she sighed gently 'You win. I can't bear to see my monsters be destroyed' she turned her head to the side for a moment, before retrieving her deck and walking away, just as Hikari did earlier.  
'Mai Valentine has surrendered, Yugi Muto is the winner of the second duel of the semi-finals' the suit raised his arm in Yugi's direction. 'The next duel will be Joey Wheeler and Yugi Muto, it will take place tomorrow morning'  
Hikari spied Pegasus as he stood up from his golden throne and walked out of the door behind him, not saying a word.  
'Yeah! Way to go Yug!' Joey called down at his friend 'You did it!'  
Tristan and Bakura cheered as Tea and Hikari hugged at his victory.  
 _No matter what happens now, one of them will have a shot of taking Pegasus down._

Dinner that evening was much more relaxed than breakfast, as the conversation flowed but Hikari couldn't help but notice Mai's absence from the table. Joey was fervently discussing strategy with Tristan and Bakura as Tea laughed at his enthusiasm. Hikari and Yugi were making small talk, but it was a little bit awkward. Hikari could tell that Yugi wanted to talk with her about this afternoon, but since Pegasus' security detail was ever-present, it wasn't safe it discuss.  
Joey cut across the conversation 'Are you ready Yug?' he flashed a grin at him.  
Yugi laughed gently 'You bet I am Joey, I can't wait to see how far you've come!'  
'Be careful of his Red-Eyes' Hikari laughed along with them as her mind flashed back to the duel this afternoon 'That thing is terrifying to be on the wrong side of'  
Joey laughed as he ran a hand through his hair 'Not as scary as your Guardian, Hikari' he smiled 'That thing is a lot tougher than it looks'  
Hikari smirked at him as she patted her deck in her pocket. 'Don't worry Joey, it won't be the last you see of her' she laughed gently.  
Joey made a face before laughing with her.  
Dinner ended on a happy note for once, even though tomorrow loomed over them like a dark cloud, the group was in high spirits for Yugi and Joey's duel. Although Tea had expressed an upset about them being forced to be put against each other like this, Hikari had tried to spin it as one last friendly competition before either of them faced Pegasus. A little fun was needed.

The same as last night, everyone filed into their rooms as they walked down the corridor, leaving Hikari and Yugi standing at the end. Yugi turned to her, leaning against a tall white pillar 'I suppose we need to talk about what happened earlier' his voice was cautious.  
'I suppose we do' Hikari agreed, nodding at Yugi's door. The pair entered the room, making sure they weren't seen by anyone else.  
Hikari immediately sat down on the edge of Yugi's bed, waiting for the barrage of questions he surely had for her. Yugi just stood, his expression was more serious than she had seen in a long time. She was suddenly reminded of when they were kids and she had to tell Yugi she was leaving for Cairo with her father. She shook her head to clear the memory and refocused on him in front of her.  
'So..' she said hesitantly.  
'What happened?' he asked after a long pause.  
Hikari just sighed 'I guess I just realised that Pegasus was trying to manipulate me into dueling you by forcing me against my friends' she took a moment trying to gauge his reaction 'That's why he had me duel Joey first, if I defeated him I could have faced you with a renewed sense of purpose to protect my father'  
Yugi nodded in understanding, his eyes grew soft as she mentioned her dad. Yugi had fond memories of Hikari's father from when they were young, he was a very kind man. 'I get it' he murmured as took a seat next to her. 'What I don't get is what made you stop in the first place' his voice was careful.  
Hikari was brought up short _What do I say? That I saw Yami personified in my card and it made me realise that this wasn't what I wanted? He'd think I was crazy.  
_ 'Oh, uh... y'know. ' Hikari flounded for a moment trying to come up with a rational excuse 'Just that when I was one move away from winning it made me realise?' her voice raised at the end making it sound like a question.  
Yugi raised an eyebrow, skeptical. He looked down at his Millennium Puzzle for a moment and then back to Hikari as he removed it from round his neck and placed it on the table the other side of the room.  
'What are you..?' she began but Yugi interrupted her.  
'You know, ever since you came back from Egypt and the spirit from my puzzle came into my life, he has not been able to have a single thought that didn't involve you' he said quietly, a sly smile across his face. _Oh no. Where is he going with this?  
_ 'Oh?' Hikari asked, trying to be nonchalant as her heart rate quickened.  
'He thinks you have something to do with his past, but it shouldn't be possible, I've known you since we were 5 years old' Yugi furrowed his brows together as he gazed at the puzzle the other end of the room. 'Then, that afternoon when we were in your kitchen, you had that vision. Do you remember?' he asked, looking at her.  
Hikari narrowed her eyes a bit, she did remember. She tried to bring the memory into her head. _Men shouting. A dark room. A glint of gold._ It didn't make sense.  
'Where are you going with this?' she asked as the flashes subsided.  
'When the spirit touched you, he shared that memory. Meaning your minds, much like ours-' he gestured to himself and the puzzle '-share a bond'  
'What do you mean?' Hikari was still confused as she tried to make sense of Yugi's words.  
'Hikari, tell me. What do you remember of when you were young?' Yugi bit his lip as he looked at Hikari. She scoffed, not quite believing what she was hearing. _Is this  
some kind of joke?  
_'I don't see what that has to do with anything' she crossed her arms defensively.  
'Hikari, please' Yugi pleaded as she rose to her feet. 'I'm just trying to figure out what Pegasus wants with you' he lowered his eyes. Hikari turned to face him, unable to speak.  
'I- I don't know' Hikari admitted 'The only memories that are clear to me are when I was in Domino when I was young, I don't remember anything else before that. But why would I? I was too young!' she tried to justify her words but Pegasus came back to her.  
 _Doesn't it bother you Miss Farrow, that your life doesn't make any sense?  
_ Then Yami came into her head again;  
 _Forgive me, you don't look much like your father.  
_ Hikari's head began to spin as she grabbed the bedpost, her breathing becoming heavier.  
'Hikari!' Yugi's voice broke through 'Are you alright?' he grabbed her hand, looking into her eyes.  
'I'm fine' she said forcefully, then her voice dropped into a whisper 'What does it mean? Why don't I remember anything?' she looked scared as she rested her eyes on Yugi's face.  
He dropped her hand and looked at her for a moment before going to retrieve the puzzle on the table placing it back around his neck.  
'There's only one way we're going to make sense of any of this' he turned back to Hikari, his eyes blazing. 'Come with me' he turned and headed out of the door.

Hikari followed Yugi down the dark corridors of the castle, unsure of what his plan was. She remained silent as Yugi led her through the maze. She gasped when they reached the dueling arena they had been at this afternoon.  
'Yugi wha-?' Hikari's voice went dry as Yami appeared in front of her. 'What's going on?' she demanded, her voice barely a whisper as she looked at her surroundings. The massive hall seemed dangerous in the dim light, a sense of unease filled her stomach as she put the pieces together.  
'Hikari' Yami's voice was low as he stepped closer to her in the fading light of the arena. 'I don't know what's going on, why Pegasus is so interested in you, why ever since I've met you I've felt so drawn to your presence. We need to dive deeper into your memories and find out what Pegasus wants to know.' He grabbed Hikari's hand letting his fingers trace along her knuckles, searching her face for a moment before breathing deeply. 'There's a reason Pegasus wanted to manipulate you into turning you against me, we just need to find it'  
'How?' Hikari breathed, though she already knew the answer.  
'We need to duel'


	11. Chapter 11

Hikari stared back at Yami in disbelief as she took in his words, she searched his face for any sign of bluff, sure he must be joking. She found none.  
'I can't' she whispered to him, eyes widening in fear.  
'We have to, its the only way to find out what Pegasus wants' his voice was even, but Hikari could sense that he was scared too. They stood silent for a moment as Hikari thought weighed up the options in her head.  
'Alright' she conceded. She knew Yami was right, Pegasus went through a great deal to ensure she turned against her friends. Dueling Yami on her own terms was the safest way to find out what he wanted. Yami nodded and walked down the corridor they just came from to make his way to the other side of the arena, Hikari watched him as he disappeared into the darkness, leaving her alone. She walked to the platform and retrieved her deck from the holder on her trousers, trying to calm herself down. _He's right, it's the only choice we have left.  
_ Yami reappeared on the opposite side and walked calmly to the platform, he began shuffling his deck as Hikari did the same, their eyes never leaving each others faces, terrified of what they might lose.  
 _Are you sure about this Pharaoh?_ Although Yugi had initially agreed with his plan, he became hesitant.  
 _Yes Yugi, it's the only choice we have_ Yami's thoughts were solemn as he placed his deck down. Yugi nodded and turned his attention back to Hikari who held an apprehensive expression on her face.  
'Are you ready?' he asked.  
'As I'll ever be' she said quietly drawing her first cards.  
'Let's duel' he said, doing the same.

'I summon Shroud of the Keeper in attack mode [1250/1000] that's all for now'  
Yami nodded, picking up his first card 'I summon Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress [1400/1200] now attack her monster with Fireball Attack!' he called as his dragon opened its maw blasting Hikari's monster away with its attack. Hikari's life points went down to 1850. She breathed out forcefully picking up her next card.  
'I place one card face down and summon a monster face-down in defense mode' she placed her cards on the grid, eyeing Yami in front of her. He was so different when he was dueling.  
Yami drew his next card and attacked Hikari's face down monster. 'Oh no!' his eyes widened as he saw the monster before it shattered.  
Hikari smiled 'You know the drill by now' she smiled slightly 'Thanks to my Eye of the Mystic's special effect, I can transfer a trap card from my deck to my hand' she shuffled through her deck and picked the card she desired before reshuffling her deck.  
Yami looked at Hikari with a mixture of admiration and annoyance before turning his attention back to his cards 'I place one card face down and end my turn'  
Hikari looked over her hand for a moment 'I summon Keeper of Alexandria in attack mode! [1600/1000], now attack his Dragon!' she commanded as she saw Yami's monster destroyed, his life points dropped to 1800. 'I place one more card face down and end my turn'  
Hikari couldn't place this feeling she had in her chest, something strange was happening to her. The edges of her vision were beginning to shimmer as they blurred, she dropped her eyes and placed one hand on the edge of the platform to steady herself. Yami noticed Hikari's strange reaction and inadvertently reached his hand out to her, willing himself to touch her from the other side of the arena. Hikari looked up to see the conflicted look on his face, realising what he must be thinking she shook her head 'No, we can't stop' her voice strained 'Keep going'  
He was taken back for a moment before nodding in agreement. 'I summon Feral Imp in attack mode [1300/1400], and activate Horn of the Unicorn to increase its power by 700 [2000/1400] now attack her Keeper of Alexandria!' he declared his attack, but Hikari was ready for him.  
'Reveal trap card DeSpell!' the card rose blasting a bright river of light to his side of the field 'This negates your Horn of the Unicorn, meaning your monster isn't strong enough!' her Keeper countered his Imp's attack, Yami's life points went down to 1500.  
Hikari drew her card, her ears were beginning to ring as she tried to focus her energy. 'Do you feel that?' she asked as her breathing became shallower with every exhale. Yami nodded as she noticed his posture was becoming weaker. 'What's happening?' she asked as her grip on the cards tightened.  
'I'm not sure' he said, his voice minutely strained. 'We have to carry on' he became determined.  
Hikari nodded. 'I play Spirit of Mafdet in attack mode [2000/1800] and end my turn' her focus was becoming difficult to keep hold of with every passing moment.  
Yami drew his card sensing the same dark force that Hikari was talk about. 'I play Kuriboh in defense mode [300/200]' he nodded at Hikari ending his turn.  
'I place one card face down' Hikari eyed Yami's face down card, thinking it was a trap. 'I end my turn'  
Hikari studied Yami's face as he drew his next card, he was no longer that strong confident man she had seen duel throughout the tournament. His demeanor changed to the kind boy who helped her assemble her deck, who sat with her by the fire and who held her when she cried in his arms.  
'I place two cards face down, and summon my Dark Magician! [2500/2100] now attack her Spirit of Mafdet with Dark Magic Attack!' he threw his arm forward as he declared the attack.  
'Not so fast!' Hikari called back 'I activate my trap card Judgement of Anubis, directing your attack right back, taking the rest of your life points!' she was secretly relieved, she didn't know how much longer she could hold out. But something was wrong, she looked up to see Yami activate his magic card.  
'Go, Multiply!' the card lifted from the floor as hundreds of tiny fuzzy balls spread across Yami's side of the field saving his Magician from the effects of her trap card. 'Thanks to the effect of your trap card, I still lose life points but this duel isn't over' Yami smiled slightly as his life points dropped to 1200. Hikari exhaled forcefully as she examined the field, she didn't have anything to stand up to his magician. 'I switch my monsters to defense mode and end my turn' she said quietly, her head was starting to pound and the edges of her vision were fading faster than before.  
'Dark Magician, attack her Spirit of Mafdet!' he called again, this time destroying her monster with his. Hikari struggled to maintain her balance from the blow, she squeezed her eyes shut as the pain in her head increased.

 _Careful, we don't know what could be down here._ A whisper came from across the chasm  
 _Yes,_ another agreed _This place may have been untouched for centuries.  
_ _Look at this!_ A voice louder than the others stood out, filled with wonder. _This is perfect for my game!_ The footsteps quickened down the hallway, echoing off the tall stone walls.  
 _Mister Pegasus, please slow down._ A gruff voice called after the man as he followed him down the darkened corridor.  
 _Wait!_ A loud voice echoed off the walls again as a large crash came from another room.  
 _What was that?_ A voice asked, fear ebbing into his voice.  
 _Sounded like another cave in_ he answered solemnly.  
 _Come on, we're almost there. We have to keep going._

Hikari opened her eyes bringing her back to the present, she was breathing hard and her face was covered in a sheen of sweat.  
'Hikari!' Yami called, relieved to see her still standing. 'What happened? Are you okay?'  
Hikari stayed silent for a moment readjusting to the scene before her. _I'm dueling Yami_ she thought to herself _I'm okay._ 'I'm fine!' she said 'I saw something…' she trailed off not entirely sure how to explain what she just experienced.  
Yami waited, still looking at her with concern.  
'I didn't know where I was, it was too dark to see' Hikari said quietly as Yami strained to hear her 'I heard voices, I think one of them was Pegasus' reflexively Hikari looked around the darkened arena for any sign of him. She found none, but she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.  
Yami shook his head slowly, 'This is getting too dangerous' he raised his hand to place it over his deck.  
'No!' Hikari shouted across the arena, stopping him. His purple eyes were wary. 'We can't stop now, not when I'm starting to remember' her voice was strained, but her green eyes shone with determination.  
Yami hesitated before bringing his hand down to his side again as he nodded agreeing with her.  
'It's my move!' Hikari's voice was strong as she brought herself back 'I place one card face down and end my turn'  
Yami picked up a new card, still hesitant to continue the duel. 'I activate Stop Defense, forcing your monster back into attack mode' Hikari's eyes widened as she saw her Keeper of Alexandria move rigidly back into attack mode. 'Now, Dark Magician, wipe out her monster with Dark Magic attack!' The magician put his hand forward, pushing the spell onto Hikari's monster shattering it. Hikari's life points dropped to 950. She grit her teeth as she examined her hand.  
 _Heart of the cards.  
_ 'I summon Guardian of Alexandria in attack mode [2800/2500]' she smiled as her monster rose from the ground 'Now attack his Dark Magician!'  
'Not so fast!' Yami interrupted from his platform, 'I activate Magical Hats, hiding my monster from your attack!' Four large hats appeared on his side of the field, covering his monster and hiding it from her attack. The ball of light hit the middle hat, destroying it and revealing the empty space underneath.  
Hikari huffed as her plan backfired. 'I end my turn' she said quietly, trying to focus again. Her muscles were growing sore as she pushed her energy to continue, her head still pounding.  
Yami noticed the change in Hikari, internally debating whether to end the duel.  
 _  
You can't._ Yugi's stare was fixated on Hikari's body. _She's starting to remember, we need to keep going. I can sense we're getting closer to what Pegasus wants from her.  
_ _Perhaps you're right_ Yami sighed internally _I just can't bear to see her this way.  
_ _I know Pharaoh_ Yugi's thoughts were softer _I hate seeing her this way too, but we need to keep going.  
_ Yami turned his attention back to the arena before having a sudden thought. Yugi noticed his friend's sudden change.  
 _What is it?_ He asked, his curiosity piqued.  
 _What if we use the puzzle to try and help her?_ The Pharaoh asked staring down at the item around his neck.  
 _Use the puzzle? How?_ Yugi raised an eyebrow.  
 _Opening her mind_ Yami mused, thinking back to his duel with Kaiba. Yugi was there with him as he remembered the encounter.  
 _No! It's too dangerous! Remember what happened to Kabia? We don't know enough about its power yet, you could kill her!_ Yugi's thoughts were frantic.  
 _It might be the only way, look at what this duel is doing to her!_ Yami thought, frustrated as he eyed Hikari. She looked weak… too weak.

'Hikari!' Yami called, causing her to look up. 'I have an idea!'  
'Not now' she breathed so quietly he could barely hear her 'We need to finish the duel. Make your move'  
'But-' he started  
'Now.' she cut him off, breathing hard.  
He was taken back for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. 'Alright,' he conceded, looking back to his cards. 'I place one card under one of my magical hats, and end my turn' he looked over at Hikari's Guardian. _If she finds my Magician, it's over.  
_ Hikari tightened her grip on her hands, focusing her energy on staying standing. She still had one card face down on the field, but if she knew Yami he'd just put Mirror Force under one of his hats, meaning one wrong move could cost her the duel. _Unless that's what I need to do. When my monster was destroyed before, I remembered something. Maybe I need to destroy my Guardian to remember something else.  
_ She narrowed her eyes. 'Guardian of Alexandria, attack the hat on the left!' she pointed at the hat, holding her breath. _Come on. Come on.  
_ _No!  
_ Yugi's Dark Magician appeared before shattering. Both of them looked shocked at the turn of events as Yami's life points went down to 900. 'My Magician!' Yami said, shocked.  
Hikari bowed her head, _I need to find another way to destroy my Guardian.  
_ 'I end my turn' she said quietly. It wasn't often that Hikari tried to intentionally lose a duel.  
Yami stared at his hand for a moment, trying to work out a strategy as he drew his next card. 'I summon Celtic Guardian in defense mode [1400/1200] and end my turn'  
Hikari stared, he still had a card underneath one of the two hats left on the field. She just needed to attack the right one. She drew her card and stared at the hats. 'Guardian of Alexandria, attack the right hat!' she pointed at the target as Yami gasped. _Why would she do that?  
_ 'You activated my trap card!' he said, almost like a warning. 'Mirror Force, which directs your attack right back at you!' he explained frantically, as his trap card bounced the ball of light that Hikari's guardian threw at him. Hikari couldn't help but smile as she saw the attack bounce against the surface of the Mirror and come back to her Guardian, engulfing her in the light. She felt the force of the attack push her back off of the platform as the light blinded her. Then everything went dark.

 _It shouldn't be much further, the tablet should be in the next chamber_ a voice said as it got louder.  
 _I hope you're right, we have to get out of here soon_ another voice, apprehensive.  
 _Patience Gentleman, we're on the verge of a remarkable discovery!_ A third voice traveled through the darkness  
A beam of light penetrated the dark room as the girl huddled closer to herself, scared of the unknown voices. Sweeping her thick black hair over her face to avoid being seen, her fingers gripped her legs as she pulled them closer to her body.  
 _Captain Farrow, if you wouldn't mind_ she saw a hand cast a shadow against the far wall as it swept in front of the light.  
 _Sir._ A deep voice answered as she heard footsteps growing closer. A whimper escaped her lips.  
 _Huh?_ She saw a figure approach her from the darkness, following the noise. The figure stopped for a moment as he held the light up to the girl who tried to push herself further back into the corner _What are you doing down here little one?_ His voice was gentle, but the shock was hard to hide. She held her hand up to protect herself _It's okay, I won't hurt you._ She looked at him warily as he placed the large black object he was carrying down on the ground, raising his hands up to show he meant no harm. He slowly crouched down in front of her, holding out one of his hands toward the girl before turning his head back _Hey, there's someone down here!  
_ Then she heard more steps, running toward her. Without thinking, she picked herself up and ran to the man in front of her using his body to shield herself from the incoming men.  
The footsteps stopped suddenly as the men reached the girls hiding place, no sound escaped their shocked faces. The man held his hand up, gesturing for them to wait.  
 _This is impossible! This tomb has been untouched for millennia!_ A loud voice said, his eyes fixed on the small child.  
 _Apparently not_ the man said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.  
She lifted her head, looking into his sky blue eyes. Pleading him to keep her safe from the unknown entities that surrounded her.  
 _We need to get her out of here._ He said, staring back at the bright green eyes that bore into him.  
 _No! She might know something!_ She turned to see a silver-haired man run toward her before roughly grabbing her shoulders _What's down here?!_ He demanded, shaking her _What do you know?  
_ The girl stared back at the man, tears springing to her eyes. She didn't understand what this man wanted from her.  
 _Step away from the child_ the first man said, his voice deep and powerful, picking up the black object he placed on the floor earlier and pointing at his body.  
 _Tell me! Now!_ The silver-haired man ignored him.  
Then at that moment, she understood what he wanted, she placed a small hand on the man's face, closing her eyes focusing her mind to give him the answers he desperately desired. _Impossible_ the man whispered in awe as the girl stood in front of him, his eyes widened as the Eye of Horus appeared on her forehead, illuminating the room. The torches the men were carrying blew out from the powerful wave coming from the girl, as the golden light grew brighter and brighter. One of the men turned to take in the room now that he could see everything, his eyes fixating on a large stone tablet at the top of an altar The girl lowered her hand from the man, the room still illuminated from the golden eye on her forehead as she turned her attention to the tablet the other man was walking towards.  
 _What does it say?_ One man asked as the other examined it.  
 _It seems to depict an ancient shadow game between the Pharaoh and his High Priest_ the man said, his gaze never leaving the words etched in the stone _There's something else. A name is written here...  
_ The silver-haired man moved to the tablet, frantically searching it as the girl went back to the tall man who found her, grabbing his hand in her own.  
 _What is it? What does it say?_ He demanded, looking at the stone.  
 _Hikari._

Hikari's eyes snapped open as she came out of the memory. The first thing she saw was Yami's purple eyes looking down at her with concern.  
'Thank the gods, you're alright!' he sighed with relief as she sat herself up, rubbing her temples. Yami couldn't help himself as he threw his arms around the top of her shoulders, burying his face into her hair. Hikari rubbed his forearm reassuringly 'It's okay. I'm okay' she said gently.  
'I didn't know what happened when your monster was destroyed you just fell to the floor. I was so worried. I thought I-' he choked, unable to finish.  
'Shh' she said quietly, 'It wasn't your fault' she pulled away, facing him 'Yami... I remembered something' an expression of awe etched into her face.  
'What is it? What do you remember?' he asked curiously.  
Hikari looked over her shoulder at the empty arena, suddenly conscious that they may be being watched. 'Come on' she said, lifting herself to her feet. She grabbed Yami's hand, lacing his fingers in between his as she pulled him through the dark maze of corridors back to her room.

'I was found' she explained when they reached Yugi's room. 'In Egypt, I was found inside a tomb or something' Hikari tried to organise her thoughts. 'Pegasus was there, and my father' Hikari bit her lip as she realised now that her father, was not her father. She didn't know where she actually came from.  
'What else?' Yami asked as he saw the conflicted look on her face.  
'I'm not sure how to explain it, Pegasus needed to know something about where I was. In the chamber…' she closed her eyes, focusing hard on the new memory 'There was a tablet. Someone said something about Shadow Games.' She sighed as her memory brought more questions to her than answers.  
Yami's eyes widened as she said this, but nodded for her to continue.  
'My name was on the tablet, I think. It might not have been my name, but what they chose to call me' she spoke quickly, her eyebrows knitted together as she thought about it before sitting down on the bed next to Yami. 'I wish everything made sense now, but all I have is more questions. It's like everything just makes less sense than before' she closed her eyes pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.  
'I know how you feel' he chuckled dryly. Hikari looked over at Yami _I suppose he knows less about his life than me_ she thought. 'But what I do know, is that we'll figure this out, together' he grabbed her hand again, squeezing it gently. A promise.  
She leaned her head on his shoulder as he grazed the back of her hand with his thumb. 'Thank you' she said quietly. She raised her head as purple met green, they sat there for a moment just staring at each other before Hikari turned her head away as a deep blush spread across her cheeks. 'I suppose I should let you sleep. You have a duel tomorrow' she rose to her feet as Yami dropped her hand, saying nothing his eyes still on her face.  
'Thank you for tonight. For everything' she smiled at him turning back briefly. Yami gave her a warm smile in return as she left the room closing the door softly behind her.

 _What do you think it means Pharaoh?_ Yugi asked when they were alone.  
 _I don't know,_ Yami thought gravely, _but if what Hikari said about Shadow Games is true... then I'm afraid we're all in greater danger._ _  
_


	12. Chapter 12

'Good morning guys!' Tea smiled as she entered the dining room for breakfast. It was the last day of the finals and the atmosphere was a strange mixture of excitement and dread. Joey was strangely silent as he munched on a piece of toast, intensely studying his deck at the table.  
'Morning Tea' Hikari yawned as she took another long drink from her coffee cup. After the previous night, her brain was too wired to sleep leaving her staring at the ceiling for the best part of the evening replaying the events of the duel she had with Yami and trying to make sense of the memories that she had experienced. She didn't have much luck on that part.  
Tea looked over at Hikari and noticed the dark circles that encased her tired green eyes 'Wow, you look exhausted' she said sympathetically 'Did you sleep at all last night?'  
'Not really' Hikari stared into the deep brown liquid in her mug, willing herself to feel more awake. 'Guess I was just feeling nervous about today' she said quickly as she glanced at Yugi who was sat opposite her quietly eating his food. _Guess I'm not the only one.  
_ 'I know how you feel Hikari' Tristan said from her side between mouthfuls 'This might be the most important duel of the tournament'  
'Way to make everyone feel relaxed about it Tristan' she muttered taking another long drink from her coffee, draining the mug before rising from her seat to get a fresh cup. Yugi eyed her carefully, still worried about the events from last night and the effect they may have had on her. Hikari caught his concerned eyes as she sat down with her second cup of coffee and gave him a reassuring smile trying to ease his nervous look. The last thing she wanted was to make him too distracted for the duel this morning.  
Joey placed his deck back in his pocket before grabbing another piece of toast in front of him 'C'mon guys, this will be fun!' he smiled trying to lighten the mood around the table, but Hikari noticed the doubt in his face as he spoke. His muddy chocolate eyes caught hers for a moment, noticing her expression he quickly bit into his second slice of toast.

 _Yugi, are you ready for this duel?_ Yami thought towards him as Yugi continued to push the food around his plate.  
 _I don't know_ he replied, placing his fork down and sitting back in the high backed chair. _There's so much at stake now, not just Grandpa and the Kabia's, but Hikari's dad too and whatever Pegasus wants from both of us._ He cringed slightly remembering the duel yesterday and how weak Hikari had looked opposite from him.  
 _I know._ The pharaoh's thoughts were solemn as he took in Yugi's words _But we must believe in our deck and the heart of the cards, as long as we work together, we'll be able to take down Pegasus._ Yami smiled at his friend giving him a determined nod.  
 _You're right_ Yugi smiled back at Yami, relaxing a bit more.  
 _Good. Now eat, you'll need your strength for today_ Yami glanced down at Yugi's plate, still full. Yugi took a moment before heartily digging into his food.  
Hikari raised an eyebrow at Yugi's sudden change in demeanor but said nothing as she returned to her coffee.  
'Ladies and Gentleman, the final between Yugi Muto and Joey Wheeler will commence in 20 minutes. Please make your way to the arena' The suit stood at the head of the table as he announced the beginning of the duel. The friends stood from their seats, Hikari quickly downed the rest of her drink ignoring the burning sensation going down her throat. She placed her mug down and flitted to Yugi's side giving him a reassuring squeeze on the arm 'Good luck' she whispered before following Tea, Tristan, and Bakura out of the room.

'Are you sure you're alright, Hikari?' Tristan turned slightly as she fell behind the group, her gait was sluggish and the black circles under her eyes seemed more prominent.  
'Yeah' she yawned 'Just sleepy, I'll perk up when that coffee hits me' she shot him a reassuring smile.  
'You better' Bakura chuckled 'You won't want to miss any of this duel'  
Hikari quickened her pace, falling side by side with Tea as they walked to the viewing gallery.  
As they walked over to the top of the balcony to see the arena below, Hikari felt a pain in the back of her head as she was reminded of yesterday. _Don't focus on it. Just keep your mind on this duel_ she thought to herself, trying to banish the pain.  
Hikari and Tea leaned on the railing of the balcony as they waited for Yugi and Joey to take their positions on the platform, but Hikari's eyes were focused on Pegasus who once again sat on the golden throne opposite her. He raised his glass as her gaze fell on him and gave her a knowing smile. _Does he know about my duel with Yami?  
_ Before Hikari could think any more, Joey and Yami appeared opposite each other both of their faces filled with determination and passion. Ready for anything.  
'Are you ready Joey?' Yami asked as he shuffled his deck.  
'Bring it on Yug' Joey chuckled 'I can't wait to show you how far I've come, I'm gonna give it my all! My sister is countin' on me to win' Joey's voice turned serious when he mentioned Serenity. Hikari was suddenly uncertain about who would be victorious in this duel, Joey's determination was hard to doubt.

The first few turns were so evenly matched that Hikari had trouble discerning who was pulling ahead, both of them were down 1550 life points.  
'I summon Summoned Skull in attack mode [2500/1200] now attack his Armoured Lizard!' Yami called as his monster threw a giant ball of lightning toward Joey's monster, shattering it. Joey groaned, but since his monster was in defense mode, he didn't lose any life points.  
'Alright, my move!' Joey drew his card 'I summon Flame Swordsman in attack mode! [1800/1600]'  
Hikari raised an eyebrow 'Why would he do that?' she asked 'That monster is weaker than Yugi's'  
'Yeah, what's he thinking?' Tristan joined Hikari and Tea by the railing, looking down at the field.  
'Now I activate Shield and Sword which changes the attack and defense points of all monsters on the field' he smiled slightly before calling his attack, destroying Yami's monster and bringing his life points down to 1150.  
'Yeah! Great move Joey!' Tea called from next to Hikari before bringing herself up short. 'Who are we supposed to be rooting for?' she whispered to her.  
Hikari shrugged 'I'm not sure' but her eyes stayed on Yami's form, willing with every fiber of her being for him to come out victorious.  
'Alright Joey, my move!' he drew a card 'I summon Curse of Dragon in attack mode [2000/1500] and now I activate Polymerization to fuse my Gaia The Fierce Knight and Curse of Dragon together to summon Gaia the Dragon Champion!' he stood back in silence for a moment while his monster formed onto the field. Hikari swallowed reflexively at the dangerous creature. 'Now, my Champion, attack his Flame Swordsman!' the monster flew high into the air and quickly dived back down, with a single swipe of its sword, Joey's monster disintegrated and his life points dropped to 750. Hikari felt herself smile gently at the Pharaoh.  
Joey looked down at his cards in a panic, knowing he didn't have anything in his hand that could stand up to Yugi's new monster. He closed his eyes for a moment before picking up the next card from his deck. Hikari's breath caught as she saw the smile that overtook his face. 'Check it out guys' she pointed at Joey's expression 'Joey's smiling'  
'Oh yeah' Tristan nodded 'I wonder what card he just drew'  
'Now, I summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon in attack mode!' Hikari felt a shiver run down her spine as she saw the great beast again, glad she wasn't the one facing it. 'Now I play the magic card Graverobber, which lets me take one card from your graveyard' Yami gasped as he put the card down, Hikari felt like he knew where Joey was going with this. 'And I choose your Summoned Skull!' the monster that Joey had just destroyed reappeared on his side of the field, roaring at Yami. 'But that's not all, now I play CopyCat to copy the effect of your Polymerization card to fuse my two monsters together to form Black Skull Dragon! [3200/2500]'  
Hikari's knuckles turned white as she took in the new monster, she'd never seen it before. The creature was just as large as Joey's Red-Eyes, but the bone casing that surrounded its body made it look dangerous and strong. The same Red-Eyes that his dragon possessed stared back at Yami's Dragon Champion, readying itself to attack. 'Now, attack his monster, with Inferno Lightning Attack!'  
The group watched in awe as Joey's monster carried out its attack, destroying Yami's monster in a single blow of red lightning. Yami shielded himself from the gust that followed the explosion as his life points dropped to 550.  
'Excellent move Joey' Yami complimented, smiling at his friend he drew his next card. 'Now I summon Dark Magician in attack mode [2500/1000] and activate the magic card Magical Hats to conceal him' he called as his monster was hidden underneath the four hats that appeared on the field.  
Hikari smiled to herself again, remembering when Yami used the same move in their duel yesterday. 'I end my turn' he smiled at Joey.  
Joey locked his jaw as he looked at the four hats opposite him, judging which hat to attack. 'Black Skull Dragon, attack that middle hat!' Joey pointed at his target as his creature attacked the hat, revealing nothing but an empty space underneath. He huffed as his attack didn't work, and turned his eyes back to his hand, searching for a strategy.  
'I summon Garoozis in attack mode! [1800/1500]' he smiled across at Yami 'C'mon, I know you wanna attack me, why don't you?' Joey was taunting him.  
Hikari chuckled as she figured out Joey's plan, Tristan raised an eyebrow at her 'He's trying to bait Yugi into attack his Garoozis, then his Magician will be exposed' she whispered to him, watching Yami's eyes as he realised the same thing she did.  
'I'm afraid that trick won't work Joey' Yami smiled 'I place one card face down under one of my hats and end my turn'  
Joey studied the three hats that still stood before him, biting his lip he hesitated for a moment, thinking about the trap card that surely laid underneath. Calling his attack, the hat showed the empty space underneath it again.

By his next turn, Joey eyed the two remaining hats left knowing that he'd hit something with his monster this time, but not knowing what it would be. The hat exploded in a flurry of fire and released the card underneath.  
'You activated my Spellbinding Circle, reducing the attack points of your Black Skull Dragon by 700! [2500/2500]' Yami called as the circle attached itself around the neck of Joey's monster, it growled and hunched over as its power was drained. 'Now, I reveal my magician and use the magic card Book of Secret Arts to raise his attack by 300 [2800/2100]. Now Dark Magician, attack his Black Skull Dragon with Dark Magic Attack!' Yami's monster twirled its staff in place for a moment and then extended its hand forward, destroying Joey's monster. Joey grunted as his Skull Dragon shattered in front of him lowering his life points to 450.  
'I end my turn' Yami raised an eyebrow at Joey, confident that he had the upper hand now.  
Joey drew his card and studied his hand again. Hikari furrowed her brows, now that Joey didn't have his Red-Eyes, he didn't have a monster to stand up to Yami's Dark Magician. 'I summon Baby Dragon in attack mode [1200/700] then I'll place one card face down and end my turn' Joey grinned at his friend across the platform.  
'What? Baby Dragon?' Bakura raised his eyebrows 'Joey will lose the duel if Yugi attacks'  
'I'm sure Joey has a plan' Tristan turned toward Bakura as Tea looked on, worried.  
'It's got to be his Time Wizard right?' Hikari whispered, not taking her eyes off of Yami. Yami narrowed his eyes, coming to the same conclusion. Attacking Joey's Baby Dragon with his Dark Magician.  
'Sorry Yug, you activated my trap card Kunai with Chain, which stops your attack in its track' he smiled, slightly relieved that the trap card worked. 'Now, my turn!' he smiled, drawing his next card. 'I summon Time Wizard, and now I activate its special effect, time roulette go!' Joey called, raising his hand as the arrow began to spin. Hikari bit her lip, if this works Joey will win the duel. The thought put a pit in her stomach.  
'It worked! Now everything on the field will age by 1000 years!' he grinned as his Time Wizard's effect took place. 'Turning my Baby Dragon in Thousand Dragon [2400/2000]' he glanced across the field 'Your Magician isn't looking too good Yug' he nodded. Yami's dark magician looked haggard, the once bright and brilliant purple robes that he wore now looked faded and tattered. [100/?]  
Joey hesitated for a moment, 'If this works, I'll win the duel!' he smiled and declared his attack.  
Joey was brought up short when Yami started smiling 'What?' Joey asked, frantically looking for something he missed.  
'Your dragon wasn't the only one who got more powerful Joey, during the 1000 years that passed, my Dark Magician was able to learn a century's worth of magic, transforming him into Dark Sage. Now I'll activate the special effect of my monster allowing me to play Makiu, the Magical Mist from my hand, stopping your attack' Yami looked smug as his cards effect stopped Thousand Dragon from attacking.  
'Now I'll activate my Dark Sage's second effect, allowing me to transfer a magic card from my deck to my hand, and I choose Monster Reborn to bring back Black Skull Dragon!' Joey's monster from earlier reformed on Yami's side of the field, looking more deadly and dangerous than before.  
 _Yugi? What's wrong?_ Yami noticed a change in his friend as he looked over his shoulder.  
Yugi sniffed, a tear falling from his bright eyes _I guess I didn't realise what winning this duel meant for Joey, this is his only chance to save his sister…  
_ 'Yug!' Joey called from the other end of the platform 'What are you waitin' for? Go ahead and attack me!' he smiled 'You deserve to win!'  
Yami nodded 'Joey, this is the hardest move I've ever had to make' his voice low 'Now, Black Skull Dragon, attack his Thousand Dragon!' Yami's monster formed a giant red lightning ball between its palms and directed it at Joey's dragon, shattering it reducing his life points to zero.

'Yugi Muto is the winner!' the man next to Pegasus raised his hand, gesturing to him 'Yugi Muto will now face Maximillion Pegasus in the grand final!'  
Joey wiped tears from his chin 'It's okay, Yug. That was a great duel' as he walked up to Yugi on the balcony. 'Here, you should have this back' he held up Yugi's Glory of the King's Hand to him so he could claim the prize money. Yugi looked up at Joey, his eyes sparkling.  
'No, keep it Joey. Use that money to help your sister' he pushed the card back into Joey's hands, Hikari felt tears spring to her eyes as she witnessed the moment.  
'You guys!' Tristan sniffed from behind her, grabbing Yugi in a headlock and giving his an affectionate squeeze. Tea and Hikari looked on laughing, finally feeling some hope for what was to come.

The group returned to the dining room before the final duel commenced, the atmosphere was tense. Now the duel between Joey and Yugi was over, the final duel between Yugi and Pegasus loomed over them like a bad dream.  
Yugi had forgone the dining room and headed back to his room to prepare for the final. Hikari anxiously tapped the side of her coffee mug as she sat there, her mind conjuring up the consequences Pegasus had implied to her in the thinly veiled threats he'd made only two days before. Her grip on the mug tightened.  
'C'mon you guys, we should head over to the arena, the duel starts soon!' Joey nudged Hikari's shoulder breaking her out of her thoughts as he stood up.  
'You guys go ahead, I'll be there in a minute' her eyes darted to the door that headed to the guest rooms, wanting to speak to Yami before all this started.  
Tea raised an eyebrow at her but didn't question it as she ushered Tristan, Joey, and Bakura out of the room and toward the arena 'See you soon' she threw over her shoulder. The look she shot Hikari after was meaningful _You will tell me about this later._  
Hikari sat for a moment longer trying to banish the dark thoughts from her head, before rising from her seat and toward the main door. Closing it softly behind her she found herself in front of Yugi's room, knocking quietly on the frame.

The door opened and her eyes quickly found Yami in front of her. Without thinking she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him, burying her face into the crook of his neck.  
Yami was briefly taken back from the sudden surprise hug but returned it, gently stroking Hikari's long black hair noting how soft and silky it felt underneath his fingertips.  
'This is too dangerous' she muttered into his neck, remaining unmoving.  
Yami let out a tense chuckle 'I know' he replied 'But it's the only way we can save everyone from Pegasus' evil' his voice was low as he tightened his arms around Hikari's waist trying to comfort her. 'I promise you Hikari, everything will be alright' he pulled away staring into her bright green eyes, tucking a stray tendril of hair out of her face.  
Hikari took a deep breath and nodded, finding his promise hard to doubt. If she had learned anything from spending time with Yami over the past month, it was that similar to Yugi, he was fiercely loyal to those that mattered to him. The determination that filled his deep purple eyes made it impossible for her not to believe him. 'You're right' she conceded gently, dropping her arms and stepping away.  
Yami caught her hand as she did 'I'll see you when all this is over' he promised, slowly raising Hikari's hand to his lips and placing them on the back of her hand briefly before dropping it.  
Hikari stared at him for a moment as she felt a strong deep blush make its way across her cheeks. 'You better' she muttered, before turning and heading out of the door.

Hikari's head was still spinning when she reached the others on the balcony. She stood between Tea and Joey, leaning against the railing. Ready for what was to come. 

* * *

******AN: I just wanted to give a massive thank you to all of you who have stuck with this story so far, and my apologies for this chapter being later than intended. I initially had the idea for Hikari to duel Pegasus before the final, but when I read it over it didn't fit the story as I had wanted it too. So writer's block had hit me for a while. Anyway, again, thank you to everyone who has read/reviewed/followed and favourited this. I already have some great ideas for where this is headed and hope you're as excited for it as I am**


	13. Chapter 13

Hikari, Joey, Tea, Tristan, and Bakura stood on the balcony waiting with bated breath. It all came down to this, Yugi was about to duel Pegasus for the title of King of Games. But it was so much more than that to everyone who was counting on this victory. This was the chance Yugi had to stop Pegasus' scheme to take over KaibaCorp, to stop him from gaining access to the Millennium Puzzle and to free Yugi's grandpa, Seto and Mokuba, and Hikari's father.  
Hikari gripped the railing on the balcony, her knuckles turning white in anticipation as she clawed against the wood. She felt Joey touch her hand gently as he noticed the tightness of her grip. She turned her head sharply and looked into his muddy chocolate eyes, relaxing her hands slightly as he gave her a reassuring nod.  
She heard his footsteps before seeing him, the light footfalls treading down the corridor caused her to break her eyes from Joey's face and turn toward the entrance of the arena. There he was.  
Yami walked slowly but confidently down the corridor until he reached the platform, his eyes stayed vigilant on the corridor opposite him, watching. Waiting.  
'Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome your host, creator of duel monsters, Maximillion Pegasus!' the suit that was usually stationed next to Pegasus on his golden throne announced his arrival. Hikari tore her eyes from Yami to see Pegasus strut into the arena, his long flowing silver hair covered half of his face, the same sphinx like smile she had now become so familiar with sat across his face as he walked toward Yami.  
Without a word, he placed his deck on the same velvet box that Hikari had done when she dueled Joey and watched as it slid across to his opponent.  
'I hope you're ready, Yugi-Boy' he chuckled before touching Yami's deck with his forefinger 'It's good as is' he announced, not bothering to shuffle. Yami said nothing, staring Pegasus down with his blazing purple eyes. Hikari felt Tea take a step back as she watched the silent exchange between them, grabbing Tea's arm she pulled her back to the front of the railing.  
'He needs us' she murmured quietly, squeezing Tea's forearm gently trying to reassure her. Tea looked back at her friend with wide eyes before nodding once, joining them back at the front of the balcony.  
'C'mon Yug, crush this creep!' Joey called down to his friend, oblivious to the tense atmosphere that the rest of the group were feeling.  
'Ladies and Gentleman, the finals of the Duelist Kingdom Tournament are about to begin' the security guard called, announcing the start of the duel.  
'Once we're done Pegasus, you'll release my Grandfather's soul to me!' Yami called from the end of the platform.  
Pegasus merely shrugged 'Of course, I'm a man of my word' his eye glanced up at Hikari, she felt her blood run cold as her mind went back to the threats Pegasus made in regard to her father.  
'That's not all, I want to release Seto and Mokuba Kaiba, as well as Hikari's father' Yami's voice was deep and powerful as he gave his demands.  
'What a strange request' Pegasus chuckled, cocking his head slightly to the left 'Oh I see, you made a promise to little Mokuba and Hikari didn't you?' his eye narrowed as he looked across at Yami.  
Hikari looked at Yami who was suddenly staring at Pegasus with his eyes wide, somewhat shaken.  
'Alright, if it will put your mind at ease, I promise to complete your demands Yugi-boy, if you win your battle with me I shall release them all'  
'Pegasus is up to something' Tristan narrowed his eyes, keeping his voice low enough so only they could hear.  
'No kidding, I think he planned to face Yugi in the final match all along' Joey said, clenching his fist slightly. Hikari fought the urge to roll her eyes at the obvious statement. _It's always been about him.  
_ 'I just hope Yugi can handle him' Bakura muttered 'Throughout the entire tournament, Pegasus has stacked the deck in his favour at every turn'  
'You kidding me?' Joey turned to face him 'He's gonna kick his ass, and when all this is over, he'll be undisputed champion' he turned back to the arena.  
'I don't know' Hikari said quietly to herself 'Pegasus has never played fair, Joey' she said a little louder, not taking her eyes away from Yami 'Right from the start he's played dirty, we don't know what kind of tricks he'll pull during this duel'  
'Yugi's not come all this way just to lose in the final match' Tea said, determined as she met Hikari's eyes 'Whatever happens, Yugi will overcome whatever Pegasus throws at him' she looked back 'C'mon, they're just about to draw their first cards, let's go to the upper gallery so we can get a better view' she headed toward the corridor.  
'Good idea Tea' Joey said, joining her. Hikari hesitated for a moment as she looked at Tristan, clearly seeing the same doubt in his face, he gave her a small nod as she joined Joey and Tea down the hallway.

The three arrived at the platform, Bakura a little ways behind them. 'Huh? Where's Tristan?' she asked him, looking over Bakura's shoulder.  
Bakura shrugged 'I don't know, he went off on his own somewhere'  
Hikari felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise before Joey interjected 'Probably just gone to get a drink or something, he'll be fine. Ain't no way I'm missin this' he leant onto the rail of the balcony to get a better look.  
'Let's duel, Yugi-Boy' Pegasus smiled at him as he picked up the first cards from his deck. Yami grunted slightly before doing the same.  
'Now we begin' he said simply 'I place one card face down and play a monster face-down in defense mode' he placed his cards on the grid as the corresponding squares shimmered on the arena.  
'Sneaky play' Pegasus hummed 'That wouldn't be a Beaver Warrior would it?' he mused. Hikari's eyes widened at his words 'There's no way Pegasus could know what Yugi just played right? It's got to be some kind of trick'  
Yami narrowed his eyes, saying nothing as Pegasus picked up his card. 'Oh' he cooed 'This is so much fun, I lay one card face down as well and place my own monster card, Red Archery Girl in defense mode [1400/1500]'  
Yugi locked his jaw, weighing up his options. 'I switch my Beaver Warrior from defense to attack mode, and I use my other face down card Horn of the Unicorn as well to increase it's points by 700 [1900/1500] now attack the Archery Girl!' he called his attack, but Pegasus remained calm.  
'You've made a grave mistake little Yugi, I activate my trap card, Tears of the Mermaid!' as Pegasus raised the card on the field, a series of small bubbles came from the clam shaped object that his monster was hiding in, encircling his monster.  
'What's happening?' Yami demanded as he looked on.  
'Unfortunately for you, this card activates whenever you reveal a face-down card. Stopping all attacks from your monster, backfiring your card and dropping your Beaver Warrior's attack points back to its original value' he chuckled. Yami growled through clenched teeth as he watched the effect take place. 'Now that your monster is weaker, I'll switch my monster into attack mode to take out your monster! Now, Red Archery Girl, attack his Beaver Warrior!' Pegasus declared the attack as Yami's monster shattered. Yami lowered his head slightly as his life points dropped to 1800.  
'Did you see that?' Tea asked, worry colouring her voice. 'Yugi had the upper hand, but Pegasus knew exactly how to counter it!'  
'Maybe he really can read minds' Joey replied, raising his eyebrows before looking over his shoulders at the corridors either side of him. 'Huh? Where's Tristan? He should be back by now'  
Bakura followed Joey's gaze before shrugging slightly 'Beats me, maybe he got lost' he wondered. Joey shook his head slightly before sighing.  
'Doesn't he realise he's missing the match of the century?'  
Hikari was only vaguely aware of the exchange, her eyes fixed upon Yami's face as she saw the wheels turn in his head, thinking about how Pegasus could have possibly known how to counter his attack. She bit her lip slightly, bowing her head. _He has to win.  
_ Pegasus began to chuckle at Yami's expression, 'Realised your mistake accepting this duel Yugi-boy?' Hikari's head snapped over to Pegasus' face as he taunted Yami. 'What hope could you possibly have against the creator of Duel Monsters? And against a duelist that can read every card in your hand and every strategy in your deck?'  
Yami's eyes widened slightly as he ground his teeth together. 'I can see everything, your hopes, your dreams…' he paused for a moment as his gaze rested on Hikari as the edge of the railing before finding their way back to Yami's shocked face 'even your fears. You know you don't have a chance of beating me, my mind-reading abilities give me an unbeatable advantage!' he smiled as he lowered his jaw ever so slightly, satisfied that Yami was shaken.  
'This is so unfair' Joey growled next to Hikari. 'We know that Yugi can defeat anyone in a fair duel, but with Pegasus' Millenium Eye in the game, who knows what could happen?'  
Bakura nodded in agreement 'That's what makes the Eye such a powerful item' his eyes went down to the ring that rested beneath his jumper.  
Hikari gripped the railing tighter. _I just wish I knew more about my past, maybe I could find something that will help him._ She tried to conjure up the images in her head, but nothing made sense. Closing her eyes she willed herself to focus on the missing pieces, to find what she showed Pegasus all those years ago in that chamber. Why she was there in the first place, and what it all meant.  
Yami's voice broke her out of her stupor as she saw him place a card face down on the field and end his turn. 'Do your worst' he challenged, his voice low and commanding.  
'My turn already?' he chuckled drawing his card. He stared at his hand for a moment, letting the silence seep through the arena like a deadly mist.  
Tea crossed her arms 'What's he waiting for?' she whispered to Joey as she watched Pegasus' unmoving figure.  
'It's the moment you've all been waiting for!' he declared, bringing their attention back 'First I'll play Ryu-Ran in defense mode [2200/2600] and then I'll switch my Red Archery Girl back into defense mode' he laughed at Yami's confused expression 'Not what you were expecting was it? Your move Yugi-boy'  
Hikari furrowed her brows. _Why would he do that?  
_ Yami drew his card as Pegasus laughed again 'Ooh, nice card Yugi' he smiled across to him 'I think Summoned Skull will go very nicely with your Celtic Guardian, Magical Hats, Spellbinding Circle and Horned Imp'  
Hikari felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. _How is he doing this?_ Yami clenched his fist as he looked down at his own cards, confirming Pegasus' observation.  
'C'mon Yug, don't let this guy psyche you out!' Joey called down to his friend.  
'Yeah, we know you can do it!' Tea agreed, a fierce look on her face.

Yami narrowed his eyes, looking straight ahead at his foe. 'First I'll play one card face down, and then I'll play Summoned Skull in defense mode [2500/1200]' his voice wavered slightly, unsure of what Pegasus had planned for him. 'I'll leave it at that'  
'Oh goodie, my turn again' Pegasus grinned, picking up a card. Hikari felt sick upon seeing how much fun Pegasus was having toying with Yami. 'I'll switch Ryu-Ran into attack mode, now attack his Summoned Skull!' he declared.  
'You activated my trap card!' Yami turned over the card on the grid 'Spellbinding Circle! Which not only stops your attack, but reduces its power by 700! [1500/2600]'  
Pegasus held his hands up in a dramatic fashion 'Oh no!' he chuckled slightly. Yami was too focused in his counter attack to notice Pegasus' mock fear.  
'Now, Summoned Skull, attack his Ryu-Ran!'  
'Not so fast' Pegasus cut in, holding up a card in his hand 'I play this, Trap Displacement! Which allows me to take that pesky Spellbinding Circle that you put onto my monster, and put it onto yours'  
'No! My monster!' Yami called out as Pegasus' Ryu-Ran destroyed his Summoned Skull, lowering his life points down to 1400.  
'Ugh! That cheating slimeball!' Joey growled, looking like he was about to dive over the railing. Hikari grabbed his forearm, reminding him of where they were.  
'We can't give up, Joey' she said, her voice low 'Yugi needs us if he has any chance of beating him'  
Joey calmed down for a moment while he looked over at her face 'You're right' he conceded, placing his own hand on top of hers, 'We just have to be there for him'  
Hikari nodded, smiling at Joey. Tea nodded along, looking down at the pair before turning her gaze toward Hikari. 'Hey, where's Bakura?'  
'Hm?' Hikari looked around to the spot where she last saw their friend. 'I don't know…' she frowned. _I didn't see him leave._ She tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach as she refocused on the duel down below.  
'My turn Yugi-boy' Pegasus hummed, picking up a card from his deck. He paused for a moment and cocked his head to the side like we was listening to something. 'I'm afraid that's impossible' he chuckled 'There's nothing you can do to stop the powers of my Millennium Eye' Yami gasped as Pegasus spoke aloud the answers to the thoughts inside Yami's head. 'I know every card in your deck and every strategy you're about to make, and I've come up with counter attacks to all of them!'  
Hikari felt her stomach turn, _there has to be a weakness to his Eye, something we're missing.  
_ She looked down in time to see Pegasus catch her gaze and give a subtle shake of the head, answering her thought for her. She growled.  
'But anyway' he continued, turning his attention back to Yami in front of him 'Who needs magic with this card? I play Toon World!' he placed the card on the grid as a comically large pop-up book rose up from a black vortex on the field. Hikari raised her eyebrow as she stared down at the book, she'd never seen that card before, much less knew what it did.  
'Oh no,' Tea whispered, her face now full of worry.  
'This ain't good' Joey agreed, leaning further over the railing.  
'What is it?' Hikari asked, confused turning to her friends. Just as Joey opened his mouth to answer, Pegasus took the liberty of clearing it up.  
'As you recall Yugi, Toon World protects my monsters from your attacks in it's impenetrable hardback bindings, only opening when they attack you!' Yami growled as Pegasus began to laugh. 'And as you see, my monsters have been transformed to their unstoppable Toon forms!' Pegasus gestured before him as Hikari looked over and saw that Pegasus' monsters had turned into over exaggerated cartoons. She suppressed the urge to laugh. _They don't look like they could do much damage.  
_ 'Now, Cartoon Ryu-Ran attack the monster Yugi has in defensive mode!' Pegasus laughed again as his cartoon monster blew flames from its nostrils in an over the top manner. The urge to laugh was gone, now Hikari could see how dangerous these toon monsters really were when Yami's Giant Soldier of Stone was destroyed. 'Looks like he couldn't stand the heat' Pegasus chuckled as his monster was pulled back into the bindings of Toon World, the book snapping shut concealing his monsters away.  
Hikari saw the wheels turning in Yami's head as he tried to figure out a way around Pegasus' card. 'I summon Celtic Guardian in attack mode! [1400/1200] Now, attack his Archery Girl!' he called.  
Joey looked at his friend, confused. 'Why would he attack? They have the same attack points!' he asked frantically as he watched Yami's Guardian run toward Pegasus' monster.  
'No way!' Yami gasped as he watched on. The clam that Red Archery Girl was encased in, caught the sword of his Guardian, denying him to complete what he started.  
'What's going on here? How did that Clam catch Yugi's attack?' Tea stepped back half a step in shock.  
'I don't know' Hikari grumbled 'That should have been a draw' she looked on at Pegasus whose shoulders were shaking with his silent laughter.  
'Oh well,' he flipped his silver hair back 'Looks like it wasn't as even as you thought' he chuckled again as his monster countered, destroying Yami's guardian.  
'Afraid not' he hummed, again answering a question inside Yami's head 'Nothing in your deck is strong enough to destroy my Toon monsters. They can't be beaten by sheer brute force' Pegasus studied his hand for a moment 'I think I'll just lay these two cards face down, and end my turn' he gestured grandly back to Yami 'Your move' he offered.

Hikari looked down at Yami, resisting the urge to jump down there and stop this duel on way or another. The fear etched into his face was obvious to anyone, Pegasus had him on the ropes and he knew that.  
Yami's voice was flat and defeated 'I place a monster in defense mode' he placed the card down and ended his turn.  
'I knew you would' Pegasus said simply 'That's why I placed this card face down' he turned the card over to reveal a large grotesque surrounded by pale blue snakes. It opened its lid, reveal a blood red iris staring straight across at Yami's frozen figure. 'Gorgon's Eye'  
Yami's monster was revealed and turned to stone in front of him. 'My Imp!' he said shocked.  
'That's right Yugi-boy. Every monster you put into defense mode will be turned to stone, and everytime I destroy one of them, half of their defense power will be taken out of your life points' Pegasus cackled, sure of his victory now. 'But that's not all, I play my second face down card, Doppelganger!' Pegasus lifted the card to show him 'This little guy can transform him into any card on the field that I choose' he chuckled, watching Yami's shocked face. 'And I choose your Summoned Skull that I destroyed a few turns ago'  
'No way, that card is in my graveyard' Yami said, his voice determined.  
'Good observation Yugi-boy' Pegasus answered 'But your graveyard is still on the field, not removed from the play' he chuckled. 'Now, watch and learn'  
The large toon cat spun around quickly, diving into the book that levitated on Pegasus' side of the field. 'Quite remarkable, eh?' he laughed, gesturing grandly to his card. 'Now then, welcome your new best friend, Toon Skull!'  
Yami watched in horror as a small, comical looking Summoned Skull emerged from the pages, sticking its tongue out at him. Hikari clenched her fist as she watched the play.  
'Now, Toon Skull, Lightning Strike Attack!' he called as the Toon Skull shot a bolt of lightning at Yami's stone Imp, shattering it in an instant. 'And since it was under the effect of my Gorgon's Eye, half of the defense points come from your life points!'  
Yami's eyes narrowed as his life points dropped down to 900. Pegasus still stood strong at 2000, barely breaking a sweat.

'That creep sure loves to hear himself talk' Tea quipped, looking down at Pegasus' sly smile. Hikari let out a tense chuckle in answer, her eyes straying back to Yami. Their eyes met for a moment as he let all the worry fall onto his face. She placed her hand over her heart. _Heart of the cards_ she thought toward him, only half aware that Pegasus knew what she was saying better than Yami did.  
'It's your turn' Pegasus sang, bringing Yami's attention back to him 'I see you've drawn the Dark Magician' he hummed. Yami gasped, looking down at his card 'I so look forward to when you put him into play so I can destroy him'  
Yami stared down at the field, unsure of his next move. 'It certainly does' he laughed 'Oh, where are my manners?' he asked in mock embarrassment 'I should really learn not to keep butting into your little conversations with yourself. Accepting defeat is such a personal matter' he laughed again.  
'Don't listen to him Yug!' Joey called down 'Just keep thinkin about your Grandpa, Kaiba, Mokuba and Hikari's Dad!' his eyes flickered to Hikari standing next to him, her face a smooth mask. Yami's face turned serious as he thought about what he was fighting for. His eyes turned to Hikari's face, her midnight hair now covering her face as her lip began to tremble. He yearned to reach her, to touch her again and make everything okay. All he could do now was win this duel, to get her father back, to get Yugi's grandpa back. To save his own soul from Pegasus' clutches.  
Yami closed his eyes, thinking about a strategy. 'I play Dark Magician in attack mode! [2500/2100] and I'll also protect him with Magical Hats!' Yami placed his cards, concealing his magician under one of the four hats that appeared in front of him.  
'Awesome!' Tea exclaimed 'Now there's no way Pegasus will know where Yugi's monster is hiding, which means he'll be safe from his Toon attack!'  
Pegasus merely laughed quietly 'Ah I see' he breathed 'You're just trying to stall until you think of a better idea on how to overcome my Toon World' he said quietly, the sphinx grin crawling across his face. 'But it's not going to work. All I need to do is read your mind until I find which hat is hiding your feeble monster' Yami looked down at his cards, closing his eyes in frustration. 'You might as well surrender now to save yourself from a crushing defeat' he hummed.'C'mon Yug, stay with us!' Joey called down. 'So what this freak has magic powers' he growled. 'We know you can beat him!' Tea agreed desperately.  
 _Wait._ Hikari froze when Joey's words fell onto her ears. _Pegasus has a Millennium Item, sure. But so does Yugi!_ Her breathing quickened.  
'Yugi!' Hikari called down, his face turned to her quizzically as he registered her more hopeful tone. 'Your puzzle!' she said, pointing at the pyramid around his neck. Yami looked down, his eyes widened as he thought about what she was trying to say. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Pegasus' eye narrow.

 _I have an idea_ Yugi said to him  
 _Quickly_ , _I can feel Pegasus trying to read our mind._ Yami replied, urgently.  
 _I thought we would need to keep our souls merged to win this duel, but that's obviously the wrong strategy. What if every time we play a card, we switch minds?_ Yugi suggested _That way Pegasus will have no idea what cards we'll play because we won't.  
_ _So you're saying we'll keep our minds and thoughts separate from each other?_ Yami realised quickly what Yugi was suggesting.  
Y Yugi nodded.  
 _It could be dangerous_ Yami said hesitantly _But it just might work._

'Now Toon Skull, attack the hat on the far left!' Pegasus called his attack as the group on the balcony held their breath. The attack went through to the hat, blasting it away revealing the empty space under it.  
'It seems you're losing your touch, Pegasus' Yugi's voice came from the place that Yami was standing a moment ago.  
Hikari nodded slightly to herself. _They did figure it out_ she thought, relieved.  
'Hm?' Pegasus looked down, anger sweeping across his face. 'How? How is this possible?' he demanded, looking up 'It had to be in that hat! I just read your mind!'  
'Maybe. Or maybe you read the wrong mind, a mind that doesn't know where the Magician is hiding' Yugi smiled slightly, pleased that his plan worked.  
Joey looked confused 'Hikari, any idea what's going on?'  
Hikari nodded 'It's the spirit of the puzzle, they're switching control of Yugi's body to stop Pegasus from reading their minds' she said simply. She looked over at him, just now realising that Joey doesn't know the difference between the spirits as well as she does.  
'Your magic tricks won't work any more Pegasus' Yugi goaded 'You're not the only duelist with a millennium item' the puzzle shone around his neck as if it back up his point.  
'I sure hope he knows what he's doing' Hikari muttered to herself. _Having the idea is one thing, now they had to pull it off.  
_ 'I lay one card face down' Yugi said confidently 'Pegasus, do you know what the card I just played is?' he asked, staring him down. 'Go ahead, give it a try' he challenged.  
Pegasus laughed, nonplussed. 'No problem' he paused for a moment, cocking his head to the side and focusing on the boy in front of him 'What's this? I can't tell what it is!' he growled, clenching his jaw in frustration.  
A familiar low chuckle came from the opposite side of the platform indicating Yami was back in control. 'Sorry Pegasus' he said looking up, determination blazed back into his purple eyes 'But I don't know what this card is either' he smiled crossing his arms over his chest, 'Every time you attempt to read one of our minds we'll cross back. For you see, two minds inhabit this body'  
'Mind shuffle?!' Pegasus asked, stepping backwards slightly after seeing he was now at a disadvantage.  
'Aw yeah!' Joey clenched his fist in a confident manner 'Two minds are better than one!' he laughed.  
Pegasus shook his head for a moment before reaffirming himself. 'It matters little' he spat 'My mind reading capabilities were only one of my advantages, or have you forgotten who created this game?'  
Yami seemed un-bothered 'Then go right ahead, but I suspect you've relied on your magic for too long'  
Pegasus growled, drawing a card. Hikari held her breath as she waited for him to make a move, his eyes narrowing as he looked over his hand before declaring another attack on one of the hats in front of him. But same as before, the hat revealed nothing but the empty space beneath it.  
'No!' he moaned.  
'Sorry Pegasus, looks like that's another turn wasted' Yugi said as they switched places. Hikari's head was starting to spin trying to keep up with the changes between them. He plucked a card from his deck and laid it face down before switching back to Yami, ending his turn. Pegasus locked his jaw as his mind reading was now completely unavailable to his advantage. As long as they kept using their mind shuffle strategy, he was at a loss.

Hikari's blood ran cold as she noticed the look on Pegasus' face when he picked up a card. 'Now I activate Magical Neutralizing Force!' he placed the card on the grid in front of him, negating all active magic cards on Yugi's side of the field. A black vortex spun in between the two remaining hats, blowing them away from his side of the field, exposing his Magician. 'Now it's all over Yugi-boy' he laughed 'Say goodbye to the rest of your life points!' he gestured to his Toon World magic card and declared another attack. Hikari held her breath, unable to watch. _This is it.  
_ 'Not so fast Pegasus!' Yugi called over again as they changed places. 'I activate Living Arrow! And I use it to take the form of your Magical Neutralizing Force and fire it right back at your Toon World!'  
Pegasus watched in horror as the golden arrow flew into the large book levitating in front of him. Hikari covered her eyes to avoid being blinded by the streams of bright white light from the collision. When she looked up, Pegasus' Toon World was wiped off of the field. 'It doesn't matter!' he yelled 'You're still too late to stop my attack!'  
'Oh really?' Yugi asked, flipping over his second card. _Mirror Force. Of course._ 'And since your Toon World is destroyed, your monsters revert to their original forms just in time to be destroyed by my trap card'  
Pegasus stood frozen as his monsters shattered from the lighting that was deflected off of Yugi's Dark Magician. 'No' he breathed 'No, no! No!' His yells grew louder 'I can't believe it, you've destroyed all my beloved Toons!' he pounded the grid with his fist as his words faded into minor sobs. Joey and Tea shared a look as they watched Pegasus' breakdown as his life points dropped down to 600 in a single blast.  
'Alright! Way to go Yug!' Joey celebrated.  
'We knew you could do it!' Tea cheered along with him. Hikari just smiled down at her best friend, her pride swelling through her chest. _He actually did it.  
_ 'Well done Yugi-boy' he hummed. The group stopped and stared back down at the match, unsure of Pegasus' sudden new reaction to the events unfolding. The air around Pegasus suddenly picked up, whipping his straight silver hair around his face exposing the glint of gold from his left eye. 'I'm impressed, you've come so far and now you've finally started to learn about the true power your item possesses'  
Hikari narrowed her eyes, she didn't trust where this was going.  
'Now, the true test begins' he said, as faint shadows of blue and purple penetrated the air around him, a low growl pierced through her ears. 'We're going to finish this duel in the shadow realm, and this time it's winner take all' he laughed Yugi's shocked face as the deep colours encased the arena.  
'No!' Hikari called frantically, almost falling over the railing in an attempt to get down to Yugi. Joey grabbed her waist to keep her back from the edge and she slumped into Joey's grip in defeat. 'Not a shadow game' she choked as Yugi disappeared from her view.

Now he was alone, and so was she.


End file.
